After Jamestown, Authors JP smiles and Lia
by Liauno
Summary: Face is having a hard time to recover after the events in Jamestown
1. Chapter 1

After Jamestown

Warnings: as per usual, though we tried to be nice this time, _Consider yourself warned...read at your own risk...and hopefully enjoyment!_

Disclaimer: Unfortunately we didn't make up the characters, only borrowing them

Chapter 1

Face was seeing stars as he kissed the farmer's daughter but he wasn't sure if it was so much a result of the kiss or from his still aching head. But moments later, as he ran to catch up with the others as they started driving away without him, those stars exploded into full blown fireworks.

Face tried to hide his discomfort and forced a smile on his face while trying to keep enough focus and balance to not fall out of the back of the Jeep. He was relieved when nobody so much as gave him a second look; Hannibal was focused on getting his prized boots back and the rest of the team was lost in their own thoughts and exhaustion.

After Hannibal had taken his property BA drove them to the Van and quickly changed the blown out tires. Face found it increasingly difficult to hide his pain, the bumpy ride and the heat of the sun out here in the open didn't do anything to his head and stomach, but he held his own. He even threw a few comments into the usual carefree banter of the team before settling down for what was sure to be a long ride. Gradually the pain settled back down to a dull throb, and using his blue down vest as a pillow he drifted off to sleep.

He dreamt of the farmer's daughter and in his dream the kiss they shared was much longer than it had been in reality but all too soon images of the chase they had to endure as prey just hours before the kiss followed by images of former chases and fights, images of the war and images of the orphanage joined in. After what was only a few minutes of peaceful sleep Face found himself in the middle of a full blown nightmare and bolted awake, kicking Hannibal's seat hard in the process.

"Hey, kid…watch it!"

Face was breathing hard and still not completely aware of his surroundings. "S…sorry."

"Have a bad dream, Facey?" Murdock questioned the obvious.

'Dream? It was all a dream,' he thought, answering Murdock with a slight nod. But then the pounding in his skull reminded him that some had been real.

"Face, you okay?" Murdock followed up.

"Um…yeah…fine," Face lied.

They continued on in silence, but to his dismay Face found himself growing increasingly uncomfortable. He had developed an aching pain in his stomach that just wouldn't seem to go away. No matter which way he shifted in his seat, he couldn't get comfortable.

Hannibal could see Face squirming through the reflection in the rear view mirror. "What's the matter, Face, you got ants in your pants or something?" he asked pulling a cigar out of his pocket.

Face immediately stiffened up at the question. All he wanted was to fall asleep again so he could escape the pain for awhile. "I just can't find a comfortable position." he replied. He heard B.A. snort and he immediately regretting his statement. "Sorry BA, I didn't mean anything by it."

"My ride not good enough for you man? You never complain about comfort when you sit in one of them flashy sport cars to attract women."

Just the thought of squeezing himself in one of those cars right now made his stomach churn and his head swim and he turned to the door while squeezing his eyes shut and clenching his fists in an attempt to control the pain and nausea.

BA mistook Face's lack of reaction and snorted again before focusing his concentration back on the road.

The renewed snort brought Amy on the plan. "Ah Face, are you sulking? You can always have my back bench if you think that's more comfortable than your seat."

Face was annoyed by Amy's comment and would have retorted with a witty comment but the bile had risen in his throat and he feared opening his mouth would open the floodgates. So he said nothing and pretended not to hear.

Amy laughed. "Yup…he's sulking."

Hannibal decided to get in on the act. "Face is probably just upset that we pulled him away from the girl before he had a chance to sow his oats with the farmer's daughter."

"I tried to sew some oats once, but must have been using the wrong thread."

"Shut-up fool," B.A. barked at Murdock, "or I'll sew your lips shut."

Face felt hot tears burn underneath his closed eyelids. Adding to his physical pain was hearing how little his friends thought of him.

The group lapsed into silence once more as they travelled down the nondescript dirt road. Face put his head back on the headrest and prayed for some relief. Just sitting in the van was agony…and when B.A. hit a bump in the road it was twice as bad. His head still ached with a vengeance, but it was the growing fire in his belly that was worrying him most.

They had not been travelling for long when it started to get dark.

"BA, find us a place to eat."

"Okay, what do you want?"

"I feel for burgers, what about the rest of you?"

"Burgers sounds fine." Was BA's answer.

"Captain Belly Busters please."

"We won't find any out here fool."

"But…"

Hannibal interrupted the argument before it turned into a fight. "Amy, Face?"

"Ah, burgers don't fit into my diet, but I feel for them anyway."

"Face?"

"Not hungry."

Face was still looking at the door and it annoyed Hannibal. They had not eaten much during the day but he was too exhausted and bored by Face's behavior to even try to argue. "Okay, but we're not going to stop again when you feel hungry."

Face didn't react on that at all which did nothing to Hannibal's mood.

After about another 30 minutes BA pulled into a parking lot.

"Okay, guys and Amy, time for food."

Everybody got out and stretched only Face didn't move.

"Come on Muchacho, let's see if they have a Murdock special burger."

"Don't feel so good."

"Leave our pouting Lieutenant alone Murdock."

"Face is just dramatizing because we teased him." Amy leaned back into the car over Murdock's seat. "Maybe we need to take the baby to a doctor."

"Actually he does look a little green."

"Any one looks green when he hears you talking about Murdock special burgers fool."

"Then he's not good as a meal ticket anyway. Let's just go." Hannibal closed the door and BA locked up the car.

The memory of how they had talked about him earlier on hit him hard. Not that he had expected anything different but it still hurt to hear and feel how little they cared about him. They usually bothered him about opening up when he hurt and now that he did hurt but wasn't good to scam things they just ignored him.

Hannibal had expected Face to follow them inside, after all he had to be hungry too, so they had taken their time. When they returned to the car about an hour later they found Face curled up on the back bench. He was facing away from them so they assumed he was sleeping.

"Looks like Face decided my seat was more comfortable than his after all," Amy quipped as they started down the road again. "Fine by me…I'll trade any day."

Face was covered in sweat; his stomach felt as if someone was sticking a hot poker at it…the pain was sharp and intense. He was also struggling to catch his breath. 'This isn't just going to go away,' he thought. 'I have to say something.'

Face didn't even try to hold back the moan as he tried to roll over. The slightest movement made his vision blur and sent waves of agony rolling over him.

"Sounds like sleeping beauty is waking up," Hannibal said sarcastically. He was still irritated at Face's earlier behavior and that he hadn't eventually joined them for dinner.

"I think there's...something...wrong with me," Face said through bated breath.

"If that ain't an understatement, I don't know what is," B.A. grumbled from the driver's seat shaking his head.

Murdock, however, had an uneasy feeling ever since they left Face in the van the hour prior. "Face, talk to me," he said moving towards his friend.

But Face's only reply was another moan, this one louder and longer.

Hannibal's radar went off. "B.A., pull over."

'Oh no, I made him mad.' His state coupled with the earlier statements of the team brought the old insecurities back to the surface with full speed. 'Try to save whatever you can, cooperate, do what he says.'

Everything went in slow motion for Face. He heard Hannibal telling BA to pull over before he saw Murdock right in front of him. Just when he wanted to reassure Murdock that he was fine the slow motion ended and changed to full gear. BA had pulled the car to the side of the road where the ground was uneven. As a result the inhabitants were rocked around. Face almost fell from the bench before Murdock caught him and pushed him back. He curled up again and cried out in pain. Every thought of trying to be brave went out of the window, together with his ability to think straight.

Hannibal pushed Murdock, who was hovering over Face, to the side. "Face, what's wrong?"

Face was still lost in white agony and didn't even notice Hannibal had taken Murdock's place, let alone hear him.

"Face, where does it hurt kid?"

The pain was slowly ebbing away and this time Face did hear something, but he couldn't make any sense of it. He tried to turn his head towards the voice and open his eyes but all he saw was something blurry. The blurry figure slowly changed into Hannibal and Face suddenly remembered the words 'he's not good as a meal ticket' and 'pull over BA'.

'Oh no, he's going to throw me out. Cooperate, do what he wants.'

"Face, does your stomach hurt?" Hannibal guessed by the position Face was in since he didn't get any answer.

Face wanted to tell him he was fine but instead another moan escaped.

"Can you turn to your back for me? I want to have a look."

By now it hurt like hell to move but Face knew he had to do whatever he was told if he wanted to have a chance to stay on the Team. With a little help from Hannibal and with gritted teeth he managed to turn enough to be on his back.

Hannibal lifted Face's shirt and gasped at the sight. An ugly looking bruise, the shape of an oval, covered the right side of Face's belly, starting at the lowest part of the rib cage and stretching all the way down to his waistband. Hannibal lightly touched Face's belly around the bruise and didn't like the tenderness at all. Face moaned and squirmed but stayed on his back. As Hannibal touched a spot closer to the bruise however, Face batted his hands away and curled up again, whimpering and protecting his belly with his arms.

"BA, get us to the next clinic, ASAP."

BA didn't waste any time and was back on the road in seconds. "Colonel, what is it?"

Hannibal was chewing on a cigar by now. "Belly is tender. Maybe internal bleeding."

"But how? He was fine. You think something happened while we were eating?" Amy was puzzled.

"No. The butt of the gun he was hit with earlier today is what happened."

"But…"

"Sometimes it's just a small wound that grows with time. We'll see."

Murdock settled in beside Hannibal and stroked Face's hair while they rode on. Face was conscious but beyond recognizing anything around him.

"Hannibal, there's a small clinic at the end of the street."

"Okay, Murdock help me get Face inside, he's my son, you're his cousin. BA, take Amy to a bus or train station and then wait close by." BA knew the four of them together were too easy to recognize so he didn't argue.

Amy on the other side tried. "But…"

"We might not be lucky and run into trouble, you don't need to be part of that. We'll keep you informed." With that he took Face under the arms, Murdock picked up his legs and they started moving.

The trio made it only a few feet before Face gasped out, "Gonna…be…sick."

Hannibal and Murdock lowered Face to the ground and supported him as he retched.

"Dear God," Hannibal whispered shooting Murdock a worried glance.

Murdock eyes reflected the same fear as he realized what Hannibal had seen. Blood. Face was vomiting blood.

Upon entering the small clinic the nurse behind the front desk took one look at the barely conscious man being carried in before scrambling to get a gurney. Face groaned and curled up into a ball on his side as soon as they laid him down.

"What happened?" the nurse asked as she wheeled Face into an examination room.

"My son, Tom, was mugged early this morning," Hannibal lied. "He seemed okay at first, but just started to complain about stomach pain."

"And just now, outside, he was throwing up blood," Murdock added anxiously.

The nurse frowned as she took Face's racing heart rate and alarmingly low blood pressure and then began scribbling notes onto a clipboard.

"Excuse me, ma'am," Hannibal started. "I don't want to sound pushy, but I think my son needs a doctor right away."

The nurse looked up and nodded her head in agreement. "The name is Jackie, and don't worry the doctor should be here in just a few moments. I pressed a call button on the way in alerting him to the urgency of the situation. However, Dr. Reed is the only one on call." She smiled sympathetically. "Let me go see if I can perhaps hurry him along or finish up with his current patient, Mr…"

"Smithers, John Smithers." Hannibal pointed to Murdock. "This is my nephew Howard."

"I'll be right back."

"Thank you," Hannibal said. 'Please hurry,' he thought as she scurried out the door.

"Howard?" Murdock asked. "You had to name me Howard?"

Hannibal shrugged. "Since you won't tell us what H.M. stands for I had to improvise."

Face started to chuckle weakly, but it was cut short as another spasm of pain hit. "Make…make it…stop," he whimpered.

"I wish I could, kid," Hannibal said softly, rubbing Face's back. "Hang in there."

But Face was beyond hearing; all he could do was feel the pain.

"Murdock, this is all my fault."

"C'mon, colonel. None of us noticed that Face was really hurting."

Hannibal shook his head. "But you weren't there. You didn't see how hard he was hit. He damn near lost consciousness…hell he did for a few seconds. He couldn't see straight or answer my questions. And then I had him help me move a hot water heater less than 30 minutes later." Hannibal looked disgusted. "What kind of leader am I?"

"The best kind," Murdock encouraged. "He seemed okay when I met up with him in the barn. You didn't know."

"But I _should_ have known."

The opening of the door interrupted the discussion and in walked a middle aged man. "I'm Dr. Reed. My nurse filled me in on the basics, but I'd like you to stay as I examine Tom in case I have some questions. I'm afraid this won't be pleasant for him."

"I wouldn't have left his side anyway."

"Okay, let's start with what exactly happened."

"He was mugged about, ehmm…, six hours ago. He was hit in the gut with the butt of a heavy riffle and then in the face."

"Has he been unconscious?"

"For a few seconds, yes. And he couldn't answer my questions afterwards, but he recovered real fast and just started complaining again a short while ago."

The pain from being moved died down again and Face was somewhat aware of his surroundings. This didn't go unnoticed by the doctor who bent over his patient.

"I want to ask you a few questions before I examine you, Tom."

Hannibal remembered that Face had probably not heard the cover story and quickly jumped in.

"Tom, son, I want you to be totally honest with the doc, do you hear me, son?"

It was only meant to fill Face in on his persona but to him it came across as 'follow my orders or else…'

"Did you feel dizzy, lightheaded or nauseous?"

"Yes sir."

"Yes what?"

"All…all of them, sir."

"Okay, what about headache, visual problems?"

"Yes sir."

"All of them?"

"Yes sir."

Hannibal and Murdock shared a worried glance.

"Good, now let me have a look at your stomach. Tell me when it hurts."

"It does."

"I know, turn to your back."

Face lightly shock his head 'no' but then thought again. He cast a quick glance at Hannibal and complied with gritted teeth.

The doctor lifted the shirt and after a first look took a scissors and cut it off his patient. He proceeded to lightly press on the wound and was rewarded with a cry of pain and Face's hands around his wrists, keeping him from touching again.

"Tom, let go off the doc." Hannibal knew how strong Face was and also that his training could make him break the doctors bones.

Face complied and the doc rubbed his wrists. "Has he taken anything?"

"No."

"Good, I'll give him something for the pain before I go on."

"He reacts badly on strong pain killers and sedatives."

"That can't be helped right now. I can't examine him that way and therefore can't help him. Does your son have a mental problem?"

"No, why?"

"Sorry, just because of the way he's acting like we're in military and he's under orders. Doesn't seem as if he's in his right mind. Probably the concussion."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The doctor then picked a syringe from the nurse and emptied the content into his patient. After waiting for it to take effect he continued his examination on a now semiconscious and unresponsive Face. After several scan's and an x-ray he turned to Hannibal and Murdock while the nurse continued watching Face's vitals.

"Most of the pain was probably from his lowest rib, it's been broken in two places and grating together whenever he was moved."

Hannibal sighed in relief but it was too early as the doctor went on. "He also has extensive bruises both on the outside and the inside and most important a small tear in the spleen. From the amount of blood that has collected I would guess it has been bleeding steadily for all the six hours since the punch. We need a surgeon for this one. I already called for Doctor Anders."

As if on cue the door opened. "Hi, I'm Doctor Anders. Let's see what we have here." He didn't wait for Hannibal to introduce himself but turned to his patient and the results of the scans and x-ray. He exchanged a few words with Doctor Reed and then took up a large syringe and used it to remove most of the pooled blood from Face's abdomen while Doctor Reed held the ultrasound device in place. After some monitoring he turned to Hannibal.

"You're his father?"

"Yes."

"Okay, since he's as good as out of it I'm going to explain things to you. The rupture is not too big. Now that he lies still there's a good chance it will heal on it's own. I would like to take him to our local hospital and admit him into intensive care for the next some days. If the rupture doesn't widen and the bleeding stops he doesn't need surgery. But he has to be in intensive care and under close surveillance. These injuries can be tricky. If it doesn't stop on its own he needs surgery, it will be minimal invasive, just to close the wound."

"You have to do the surgery doctor."

"What? No, it's really not necessary as of now."

"You don't understand. His mother died due to a similar injury. She was in intensive care and it looked like her internal wound would close on its own and when we returned to the hospital the next morning she was dead. I can't have that happen again. Please do the surgery now."

"For somebody who's so concerned about his son's health you sure reacted late."

"Reed, go and get prepared, I need you to assist."

Doctor Reed muttered something and left the room.

"Sorry, he's just very protective of his patients. Please go to the waiting room now, we'll call you when we're done."

Murdock and Hannibal stepped out. "He's right Murdock. If he had been laying down right from the start….and now he has to endure surgery and narcotics and all because of me."

"You don't know that and he has to endure surgery because f the MP's, not because of you. You made up a nice little story. Have you also thought of a way to explain why we'll whisk away his patient at the first signs of waking up?"

"Who said I'll waste time explaining?" Hannibal answered with a crooked grin.

Murdock sighed. "And they call me crazy."

"Murdock, find a phone and fill B.A. in. Tell him to stay close and to be ready when we call. That one doctor looked a little suspicious…I don't want to give him any more reason."

"And you don't get any more suspicious than looking like a walking jewelry store," Murdock joked.

Hannibal sat in the empty waiting room running though the day's events in his mind and looking for all the clues that Face was hurt that he missed. He was brought back to the present when Jackie came running out from behind her desk and toward the operating room.

"What was that about?" Murdock asked, having just returned in time to see the nurse scurry by.

Hannibal's eyes remained focused on the door that was still swinging. "I'm not sure I want to know."

The next person to emerge from behind the double doors was Dr. Anders after what felt like an eternity of waiting. Hannibal and Murdock immediately got to their feet in anticipation.

"Tom will be just fine." The doctor paused, and motioned for the pair to sit back down. "Mr. Smithers, you weren't kidding when you said your son reacted badly to sedatives. In the middle of the procedure his blood pressure dropped dangerously low. Unfortunately, as a result of this I realized that speed was of the essence and I was forced to abandon the less invasive laparoscopic method."

"What does that mean?" Murdock asked.

"It means that instead of using a couple of small incisions, I had to make a large cut to access and repair the spleen."

Hannibal paled and ran his hands through his hair. "Oh, no."

"Please don't worry. The surgery was a success. And while the recovery will be more painful and take longer, he will be just fine in time." But what the doctor didn't realize was that time wasn't something one had when one was a fugitive.

"When can we see him?" Hannibal asked.

"He was just starting to come around a few moments ago and…well," Dr. Anders cleared his throat, "maybe it's best you wait a while. He was feeling quite ill."

Hannibal and Murdock knew that was all the more reason they needed to get to Face and fast. An injured and sick Face could also be a very dangerous Face especially if he woke up in an unfamiliar place.

"Please," Hannibal requested. "We'd really like to be with him."

The doctor agreed and walked with them to the recovery area. Face was awake, but they didn't have to worry about him hurting somebody; he could barely lift his head from the pillow. His skin was a sickly shade of green and he was visibly trembling.

"God, kid…" Hannibal trailed off and stood there in shock but soon moved a chair to Face's side and took his limp hand in his own. Murdock sat by the other side of the bed and nobody said a word.

When Face woke up he remembered Hannibal being mad at him and feeling immense pain. The rest was a blur. Now he was in a strange room, from what it looked like a clinic or small hospital, the pain was still there, in addition he felt sick like a dog and most important, he was alone. He had finally managed to screw up the best thing that had ever happened to him. His team had left him. He heard muffled voices around him and looked at strange faces but then the effort to concentrate got too much and he simply stared ahead without seeing. Somebody came close, he could feel it. Probably a doctor or a nurse, or maybe Lynch. But then somebody took his hand. It took a moment for his brain to catch up and then he turned his head to see Hannibal at his side. He hadn't left him, he was here holding his hand. He felt a presence at the other side and with some effort turned his head enough to see Murdock. The simple move left him wiped out and he looked straight ahead again but a stray tear escaped from the corner of his eye.

"It's alright kid, we're here now. You'll be fine, just rest." Hannibal wiped away the tear while talking.

"Your presence is good for him. It's seldom to see someone's vitals improve that much just from the presence of a loved person. You must be really close." Jackie said.

"That we are."

Face weakly lifted his other hand and Murdock took it. They sat like this for some minutes before Face passed out again.

"Mr. Smithers, can I talk to you for a moment?" Hannibal was startled, he hadn't noticed Dr. Anders coming back inside, something that rarely happened.

"Sure."

"We need to get your son ready for transport, do you know any medicine he reacts very bad to? I need to increase his pain meds but want to choose one he doesn't react too bad to."

"Transport? We're planning to leave as soon as possible but don't you think he should stay here for a few hours more?"

"Leaving? No way are you leaving with him. I'm talking of transporting him to the hospital. I already called in and arranged for a bed in intensive care, the ambulance is on the way to take him in."

"No, you can't admit him."

"And why not? You can see his condition for yourself. I'm not going to release him in your care."

"You don't understand, he hates hospitals, his mother died in one."

"No, you don't understand. He is very ill, he just had surgery, there's a four inch piece of his rib that I just pushed into the right position again and that is likely to move anytime he retches. As long as he's unstable and responding badly to the medicine he's going to stay under close surveillance."

"No, I know what's best for him. I want you to release him into my care."

"And I won't do that. You know what's best for him? Then why did you bring him in that late? And why did you insist on surgery knowing full well how bad he reacts to the necessary medicine? Are you now going to tell me which pain killer is mild on him or do you want me to do trial and error?"

Hannibal wanted to tear the doctor into pieces but he knew he was right. He should have reacted sooner and Face had paid the price. He could also not explain why he had insisted on the surgery that would only make the good doctor call the MP's, if he had not done so already and they were waiting at the hospital. Instead he just said, "He reacts bad to anything stronger than Tylenol."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

The doctor grunted and left the room again. The nurse had also left and so they were alone for the moment.

"Murdock, go inform BA, he has to stop the ambulance, immobilize the driver and any staff and bring the car here. We have to take Face to a safe place."

"I'm on it, Colonel."

"Han…bal," Face rasped. "Go…leave…me."

Hannibal shook his head vehemently. "No way, kid."

"I…I'll slow…you down. You…gotta…leave me."

Face was on the verge of hyperventilating and Hannibal could feel the hand he was holding shaking. "Shh, Face. Don't talk…just try to breathe."

"But…"

"We're not leaving without you and that's final. We're a team…we stick together."

"My…my fault."

Hannibal positioned himself so Face had no choice but to look him in the eye. He was about to tell him that none of this was his fault when Face gasped and tried to pull his hand away. Holding on tight and reaching over to grab Face's other hand, Hannibal said, "You have to stay still, Face. You have some broken ribs and a gut full of stitches."

"S…sorry, sir" Face moaned. He was starting to feel all the work that was done on him during the surgery and his headache was returning with a vengeance. The room was starting to tilt and Hannibal's face was growing fuzzy.

"Kid? You okay?" Hannibal asked, knowing full well that his lieutenant was anything but.

"Yes, sir," Face said through gritted teeth.

'Sir?' Hannibal thought. If Face was using formalities it meant he was going into soldier mode and that he was hurting far worse than he would ever admit.

There was the sound of tires screeching followed shortly by footsteps running down the hall. Hannibal could hear some commotion followed by an all too common "Outta my way." Just before BA came running into the recovery area.

"Sucker called the MP's, where's the fool." in one fluid move BA passed the gun he was carrying to Hannibal and went over to Face.

"He went to get you."

"We'll pick him up later, I moved to the back alley and came in through the back, let's go."BA picked up Face who let out a cry of pain at the movement and passed out. Hannibal just had time to place the IV bag with fluids on Face before BA pulled the stand down.

"Take care BA."

"Thought the fool came to get me, isn't Face ready for transport?"

"Well, now he is."

They went towards the back door but before they reached the door Dr. Anders stepped into their way. "Whoa, where do you think you're going?"

Hannibal could hear the sirens just now and was just about to raise his gun in order to force the doctor out of their way when Murdock came running behind them and caused enough distraction for BA to move on.

"Hannibal, MP's, BA is nowhere…oh."

"Let's go Murdock."

They made it out of the back door just as the front door opened and Lynch and his men stormed the place causing maximum confusion among the staff and the other patients.

BA passed Face to Hannibal and took off down the back alley in the hopes to get away without any car chase. Face really didn't look like he could do with being shaken around.

Inside the clinic Lynch was trying to get answers from one very confused Dr. Anders. Adding to the commotion was the fact that the ambulance had arrived just after Lynch but there was no patient to be picked up. Finally Dr. Reed arrived at the scene.

"Anders, where are they?"

"Where is who? Can anyone make some sense here?"

"The A-Team."

"What?"

"The guy we did surgery on and his so called father and cousin, they are the A-Team?"

Before he could ask any more Lynch stopped him. "All three were here?"

"Yes."

"Which direction did they leave?"

Dr. Anders just pointed to the back which had Lynch and his men racing this way, just to come back moments later.

They had missed Dr. Anders asking Dr. Reed why he had called for the MP's. He had heard about the good work the A-Team did but hadn't recognized them. But they came in time for the answer.

"I thought the young guy would be better off in prison. Being on the run with someone who cares so little, especially in his condition, can be very dangerous."

"How bad is he?" Lynch fell into the conversation.

"Bad enough, he just had surgery and the ambulance is here to take him to intensive care. He's not stable yet."

Lynch left without another word. 'This could be interesting. Smith not caring for his men is very unusual; maybe they are finally falling apart. I anyway never understood why he took Peck in his team, let alone kept him. If they're not in sync their biggest advantage is gone, plus Peck is slowing them down. This time I'll get them.'

Hannibal and Murdock worked on getting Face settled on a pile of blankets in the back of the van as B.A. struggled to avoid any potholes or bumps in the road. The unconscious blonde was clad only in a hospital gown yet he had broken out into a sweat despite the cool fall air.

Murdock placed two fingers to Face's wrist and began to count. "His heart rate is sky high, colonel."

"The doctors were right," Hannibal sighed. "He needs to be in a hospital."

"You had no choice…"

"Didn't I?" Hannibal interrupted.

"A hospital would mean jail."

"And no hospital could mean…," Hannibal's voice trailed off not wanting to say it out loud.

"Could mean that Faceman ain't gonna have no pretty nurses to flirt with," B.A. said without turning around. "Now stop blamin' yourself 'cause you did the right thing."

Hannibal met B.A.'s eyes through the front mirror and no more words on the subject were needed. One subject that did need discussing, however, was where to go next.

"Motel?" B.A. suggested as he turned down yet another nondescript road.

"No…Lynch will check them all out. We need a safe place where we won't run the risk of having to move Face for a long time."

"Father McGhill? We could hide out in the rectory?" Murdock tried.

Hannibal shook his head. "Too risky…the MPs make regular checks of the church."

"You're going to think I'm insane…," Murdock smiled.

"Think you're insane," B.A. grumbled. "We know you insane, fool."

"B.A.," Hannibal chastised, "Let the fool…I mean Murdock…speak."

"Thank you, colonel," Murdock grinned triumphantly. "We can stay at Dr. Richter's place."

B.A. rolled his eyes. "You ain't just insane…you plain stupid."

Hannibal patted Murdock on the shoulder. "Nice try, captain. But I don't think staying with a military doctor is the best idea…he'll know us the minute he sees us…and then he'll know you're part of the team."

Murdock looked down at his lap and mumbled, "He already knows all that."

"What!?" Hannibal and B.A. exclaimed simultaneously.

"Look…he's my therapist. Over the years he has been able to put two and two together. We can trust him…really."

Hannibal looked skeptical but asked, "You sure?"

"Positive. He has a summer place that he takes some of us out to when we need to get away from the V.A. He isn't using it now since it's off season."

"I don't like it," B.A. mumbled.

"I'm not sure I do either," Hannibal agreed. "But it's the best option we have. Let's go."

It took just over an hour to arrive at their destination. As they pulled into the driveway Face started to moan softly.

"He's coming around. Murdock fast, go pick the locks and find Face a clean bed."

Without a word Murdock was out of the car and was immediately replaced by BA who had come to the back of the van as soon as he had parked. The moans got louder and Face started shifting uncomfortably.

"He looks real bad man."

"I know…maybe we should rather go find a hospital…"

"No." Came a weak but clearly afraid answer. "Don't leave me…at hospital."

"Don't worry kid, no one's leaving you. Try to stay still, we'll have you settled in a comfortable bed soon."

" 'kay." Face was shivering in the cold fall air and Hannibal pulled the light blanket closer around his shoulders while being extra careful of his stomach. Murdock was inside by now.

"BA, go check if there's a heater in there and turn it on." BA lightly padded Face on the shoulder before he left.

"Just hang in there kid."

"Thirsty."

"Maybe you should wait a bit, you had surgery only about two hours ago."

Face licked his dry lips. "Thirsty. Please."

"Okay, let me get you some water from the back." Hannibal moved to get up but a weak hand moved to grasp his own.

"No, 'm 'kay. Stay?"

"I'm only going to get you some water, I'm not leaving."

"Please." The hand applied a little pressure. It was all the energy Face could muster. Hannibal could have moved his hand easily but it tore at his heart to pry the hand away. "Okay, we'll postpone the water."

Soon Murdock and BA came back. "We found a nice cozy room for you Faceman."

"There's a fire place but no heating system, only a small electric radiator. We choose a small room for the Faceman and set up the heater in there."

"Okay, let's move him."

They were as careful as possible but it was still a hell ride for Face. When he was placed on the bed all he could do was to curl up and whimper.

"Damn, he needs a doctor and we don't even have any strong pain killer."

"Just give him some minutes to adjust, Colonel, you wouldn't feel any better so close to surgery."

"I hope you're right, BA." But the whispered words coming from Face made Hannibal doubt.

"Make it …stop. Do something….please."

Hannibal pulled up a chair next to Face's bed and once more took Face's hand; if he could take Face's pain for him he would do so in an instant. But since that wasn't possible all he could do was offer his support. He looked at Murdock and B.A. and tilted his head toward the door to indicate that they should leave him alone with Face for a while.

"C'mon, crazy man," B.A. said, "Let's see if this place got any food."

"Good idea. If there's one thing worse than an angry mudsucker, it's a hungry, angry mudsucker."

Hannibal smiled appreciatively and waited for them to exit the room before turning his attention back to his agonized lieutenant. "You're going to be okay, kid. I know it hurts but right now I don't have anything to help with that."

"Hurts…so bad. Never felt…anything…like this," Face panted.

Hannibal felt a shiver travel down his spine. Face had been beaten up more times than he could remember, shot in multiple places and tortured in prison camps. And yet, in all those cases, it was rare for him to ever admit he was suffering. Face loved to whine about trivial things, but it was all an act for appearances sake. But when something was really wrong or he was really hurt, Face put on his game face and suffered in silence. But this time it was different.

"God…Hannibal…why…can't I…handle this?"

Face sounded so desperate…so lost…so scared. "You can handle this. I'm here for you…I'll help you."

"I'm sorry…acting like…a baby."

"No…no, kid. You're tougher than I would ever be if I were in your situation."

Face's eyes seemed to open wide for a brief moment. "Really?"

"Yes, really. You have nothing to prove to me."

The anesthetic that had been used to block the pain had just about worn out completely. As a result Face could feel himself losing control of his emotions. Tears sprang to his eyes and he closed them trying to prevent them from falling.

Hannibal thought that Face had fallen asleep when his eyes remained closed. "Why didn't you tell me you were hurting, kid?" He never expected an answer to his rhetorical question, but when it came it left him feeling even worse than before.

"Because…you never…asked," Face murmured and then finally the darkness took him away.

When Face next woke the whole team was with him. The pain was still there, but along with it was anger; anger at himself for not being able to get his feelings under control and anger at the team's behavior. He had woken up but not opened his eyes since he had sensed all three team members were there and he wasn't ready to deal with them right then. It was bad enough to feel their looks without having to face them. But the pain in his stomach and head was building up and soon a moan escaped and gave him away.

"Hey there buddy, feeling any better?"

Face blinked his eyes open, the light hurt in addition and didn't do anything to his mood. Feeling any better? Murdock was insane but this was just plain stupid. A blind man could see that he was anything but better. But the three around him were not blind, they were looking down at him as if he was at exhibition.

"No." He was surprised at how his voice was just a croak and difficult to understand but then he remembered that he had been thirsty before but nobody had given him water yet. "What….what are you….all…looking at…me? …Checking out…if your meal….ouuuu….meal ticket….looks….aahhh….the part?"

Just after he had finished croaking out the sentence a renewed wave of pain hit and he rolled to his side and curled together.

Hannibal tried to hold him at his back as good as possible. "Easy Face, don't move too much, just breathe through it."

Breathe through it? Were they all nuts? How was one supposed to breathe through such a terrible pain? Right now he would accept any meds they had but they didn't even offer him water.

"Pain… ouuuu."

"I know kid, I'm sorry."

"Pain…killer." Face directed his eyes on Hannibal hoping for some relieve.

"Sorry kid."

Why was he sorry? This all didn't make sense, they had been trying to feed him with all kind of meds over the years and now that he wanted it they refused him. It was so confusing. Was it all just because he couldn't scam them things now? His head hurt so much it was really difficult to think.

"Hurts." He looked straight at Murdock this time, Murdock was his best buddy, he wouldn't let him suffer. But instead of offering him the painkiller or even water he turned his eyes away.

Face looked around but couldn't read their expressions. Their faces grew fuzzy and all the effort of looking around became too much. He welcomed the darkness that came with the next wave of pain and was out again.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

"Damn Hannibal, he needs the strong stuff, Tylenol is just not cutting it." Knowing how much Face hated injections and being aware that he would probably throw up a tablet, Hannibal had injected Face while he was out but it seemed not to have helped any

"I know Murdock, but we need a doctor to get that, maybe we need to take him to a hospital."

"For him to end up in jail, you both nuts. He's suffered through worse, he'll be okay in a few days."

"How can you say that BA? He's suffering bad."

"And he'll suffer more in prison fool."

"We need a doctor, I just can't watch him suffer. I let him down earlier and didn't see his pain but not again."

"Maybe Dr. Richter could…"

"Faceman ain't nuts."

"BA, Murdock is right. He's a doctor and working at a hospital, he could get the needed meds, if he's willing to help. We have to take the risk. Murdock, can you contact him?"

"Sure."

"Get to a town a bit away, use a payphone and get us some supplies."

"C'mon fool, I'll drive."

Thirty minutes and at least as many growls later, Murdock found himself the recipient of yet one more as he explained to B.A. what he just found out on the phone.

"What you mean he out of the country?"

"Well…he's not really out of the country…that's just our secret code."

"You ain't no spy, fool…you better start makin' some sense," B.A. held up a bejeweled fist, "before I start makin' it for you."

"It's the docs way of telling me that the MPs have been snooping around and that it's best I lay low for a while. Dr. Richter comes up with creative ways to cover for me when I'm not there. So far they haven't been able to prove I'm connected to the team, but since I was your pilot in Nam they think I may know something."

"Man are they wrong…you don't know nothin'," B.A. jabbed.

"Well, I do know one thing…this means we can't get any pain pills for Face." Murdock hung his head thinking about the way Face had looked at him earlier, begging with his eyes for help. "The doc will call me when the coast is clear and he feels it's safe to contact me. But that can take days."

"Damn." That word just about summed things up.

Face next came around as Hannibal was preparing to start a new IV line.

"Hey," Face said so softly that Hannibal almost missed it.

Hannibal was about to ask how Face was feeling, but Face's pallor and the pain etched in his handsome features already answered that question. "Hey, yourself, kid. I'm going to get some fluids into you…it should help some to ease your headache."

"Okay." Face highly doubted it would make a difference; a shot to the face with the butt of a gun had caused the damage, not dehydration.

Face didn't so much as wince as Hannibal dug around in his arm for a vein; he hurt too much elsewhere to even notice.

"There…done." Hannibal tried to keep his tone light, but the truth was he was terrified. The heat was radiating off of Face's skin and his stomach incision looked red and inflamed.

Face knew he was bad off. Being a con man worked against his advantage in this case…he could see that Hannibal was scared. In turn, this made him scared as well. "Hannibal…John….if I don't make it…"

Hannibal's breath caught in his throat. Face had never called him John before.

"If I don't…make it," Face continued, "thank you…for…for…" Face couldn't go on as the tears were flowing freely.

"Hey…you're going to be okay, kid. I won't let anything happen to you." Hannibal's eyes were filling as well. "You stay with me, Templeton. We need you…I need you."

Face smiled slightly and then his eyes rolled back in his head.

"I need you," Hannibal repeated out loud to himself. It became clear in that moment that if it came down to it, Hannibal would call Lynch himself if that meant saving Face's life. Little did he know that he would be contemplating that very thing moments later when Murdock and B.A. retuned with their grim news.

At first he was relieved to hear the van returning but when he heard the news he was devasted.

"Maybe he'll feel better on his own soon."

"BA, just take one look at him, he looks worse, not better. He's developed a fever and…" Hannibal briefly considered if he should share that bit of information but decided they would find out anyway." …and he's afraid to die."

"Hannibal, you need to do something, if Face is asking for painkiller, begging even, then you know what that means…and if he's even telling you he's afraid to die…" Murdock couldn't go on, his eyes were full of tears.

"Just what am I supposed to do Murdock? Okay, look, if Dr. Richter doesn't contact you soon or if Face gets worse we'll bring any doctor here, even if it means Lynch is coming along." It wasn't the best of plans but he was finding it hard to think. His thoughts were always spinning back to why he didn't notice Face was hurt and to the way Face had begged for relief and he couldn't help him.

"Man, we were dealing with so many doctors in Nam, you should think we have thousands of trustworthy contacts."

"BA, you're a genius. That's it, we contact them."

"Whom? We didn't stay in touch."

"Okay think, I want each of you to come up with three doctors from Nam that you think can be trusted."

They did as were told and at the end they had a list with five names, arranged according to priority.

"Now how do we find out where they are? Do you want me to break into the nearest army base and go through their computer?"

"That could work captain, but I think calling Amy will be faster and safer." Hannibal went out to the van to place the call.

"Hannibal, I've been waiting for ages, how's Face?"

"Not good, that's why I'm calling. We had to flee that clinic right after surgery and need a doctor. I want you to find the contacts for those five people: Dr. Keith Thompson, Dr. James Chow, Dr. Adele Brown, Dr. Frederick Sanders and Dr. Ernest Young. Get me their phone numbers and addresses, I'll be waiting."

"Got it." Amy hung up and called back just about ten minutes later, but it felt like hours to Hannibal.

"I have Thompson, Brown and Young, couldn't find the other two."

Hannibal wrote them down and for once they hit luck. Thompson, their favorite candidate, lived only about two hours away. He even answered the phone on his own.

Hannibal forgot of any ways to conceal his identity. Time was of the essence here.

"Hannibal? Hannibal Smith? Wow, I never thought I would hear of you in person again, I've been following your way in the news. What can I do for you?"

"We need a doctor, are you willing to help?"

"If I'm willing to help? I would go to hell and back for you and your team and you know that. Just tell me who's got the sniffles and I'm on my way."

"It's a bit more than that. Face was hit in the gut and in the face with the butt of a gun. We took him to a clinic and he had surgery but we had to run and we don't have any pain killers for him. He's developed a fever too and is getting worse."

"Face is probably happy that you're low on meds." He remembered all too well how creative the lieutenant could get in avoiding to take meds.

"He's begging for them."

"Shit, give me details. What surgery did he have?"

"Ruptured spleen and broken rib. The spleen was repaired and the rip pushed back in position, if it's still there we don't know."

"Okay, what about his head? Concussion? Open wounds?"

"He's had a concussion, I think. He was out for some seconds after the blow and then couldn't answer my questions. He lost a tooth and was bleeding from his mouth and nose."

"Okay, was he bleeding from his ears too?"

"Erm…not that I saw but I can't say for sure. I don't think so, we were in the middle of a mission."

"I assume he rested after that while you guys finished the mission?"

"No, he rested for only some minutes, I needed him."

"Okay, probably a severe concussion and a fever after surgery. Does he show any signs of infection apart from the fever?"

"The incisions look red and a little puffy."

"Where are you guys?"

Hannibal arranged for the doctor to meet up with BA about thirty minutes from the place. He still wanted to be a little careful and make sure nobody followed and he didn't want to waste time in case the doctor got lost on the smaller roads. The doctor in turn asked for Hannibal to come along so that he could fill him in on more details on the ride back. Hannibal and BA were on their way soon leaving Murdock with a sleeping Face.

Said Face didn't sleep for long though. He started mumbling and tossing after a few minutes and Murdock tried to keep him still while bringing him out of his sleep.

"Hey buddy, wake up, open your eyes for old Murdock."

Face opened his eyes and immediately wished he hadn't. The light sent daggers through his skull. He didn't hear much of what Murdock was saying but saw his face just inches over his own. The pain was driving him insane but the constant looks of his team were just as bad.

"Stop….looking." He snapped with as much venom as he could muster.

When he opened his eyes again Murdock looked down and he could clearly see the hurt on his face. He didn't know why he had snapped at his best buddy but he just couldn't forget how they had cared about whether he could scam them things rather than to care about him. He wanted to tell Murdock that he was sorry but he couldn't concentrate enough to decide if he really was.

The pain was inhuman. He couldn't remember to ever have felt that terrible before. "Murdock, please…painkiller."

"So sorry buddy, I don't have anything."

He always had something, he usually tried to coax him into taking some and now he didn't want to give him anything. Why? Had he really misjudged them all those years and they didn't care about him at all? Where were the others anyway? He didn't have much time to muse about it as darkness once again claimed him.

Hannibal and BA didn't have to wait long before the doctor arrived with a car full of equipment. Hannibal changed cars and they continued without wasting any time.

"Hannibal, what happened after the blows?"

"He rested for a bit then I had him help me carry a hot water heater and after that he helped preparing the fight. I can't actually say what role he played in the fight. I didn't see him until after everything was over."

"That could be important. Who was with him?"

"A friend of ours, can I use your phone?"

"Sure."

"Amy, what did Face do during the fight?"

"He swung the hammer to shoot the gas bottles."

"He did? I thought the farmer."

"No, Face did. He hit home all the first shots but then lost aim."

"Did he bleed from his ears?"

"Can't tell, the farmer's daughter cared for him."

"He swung a hammer in his condition? That must have felt good." Silently the doctor wondered what had happened to the team he knew. Hannibal was famous for taking care of his men but this sounded much different.

They soon reached the house and without waiting for Face to wake up and get his bearings the doctor lifted the hospital gown away to take a look. Face's entire right side was one bruise with a small incision in between. The main cut was on the left side of his belly since Dr. Anders had avoided cutting into the fresh bruise.

"Wow, are you sure you took him to a clinic? This looks like the work of a butcher. "

"Face had a bad reaction to the anesthesia," Hannibal explained. "The doctor said he was forced to speed up."

Thompson looked thoughtful as he continued to examine the wound. "That explains why he didn't do a laparoscopic procedure, but it doesn't excuse the size or execution of the incision. It also means that I can't put him under when I attempt to fix this."

"What you gonna do, man?"

"Well, B.A., I'm going to have to open him back up, clean out any infected areas, and sew him up properly." Seeing the horrified looks directed at him, Thompson smiled and added, "I'll inject him locally with a numbing agent. It won't make it painless, but it should be somewhat manageable."

Somewhat manageable wasn't much of a comfort after what they had already witnessed Face go through.

"When?" Hannibal asked anxiously.

"I want to try to lower his fever some first. I'm going to inject him with a high dose of acetaminophen." He turned to Murdock and asked, "Can you get a bowl of ice water and some cloths so we can keep cold compresses on his forehead?"

"I'm on it."

"And if his fever don't break?" B.A. inquired.

The doctor started preparing a syringe. "Then we take our chances and operate regardless…it's his only hope of survival."

Survival…the word hung in the air like a thick fog reminding them of the seriousness of the situation.

As much as Thompson tried to get the healthy members of the team to rest during the course of the night, they refused to leave a delirious Face's side. This was the team he remembered from Nam, not one that would allow their injured friend to continue fighting or would ignore him afterwards. Finally when Face had once more drifted asleep after a period of vivid hallucinations, he blurted out, "What gives?"

Hannibal looked confused. "What do you mean?"

"How did this happen?"

"We told you," Murdock said in an uncharacteristically serious tone, "Face was hit in the head and gut with a rifle."

"Yeah, I know. But the A-Team I remember would have realized that something was wrong before allowing Face to push himself to the point of…well…to this point."

Nobody spoke; there was no point. Thompson was right. They were always so in tune with each other…when did that change…and why?

"Do you remember that time after you guys were sent on a recon mission and Face took a hit in the shoulder?"

Hannibal looked toward the ceiling as if seeing the past play before him. "We dragged the kid into your tent swearing that it was just a graze and that he was fine…"

"Right before falling flat on that beautiful face of his," the doctor concluded.

The conversation came to a halt as Face's fevered eyes opened and he mumbled, "beautiful face…all I'm…good for. Don't mess…up the…face...or won't…be any good."

"I didn't mean anything by that," Thompson said looking contrite.

Face's head turned toward the unfamiliar, yet still familiar at the same time, voice. "Who…?"

Hannibal decided to fill in the blank. "Face…this is Dr. Thompson."

Face blinked his eyes a few times trying to get them to focus. "Um…yeah…Keith…right?"

"The doc's going to patch you up, Facey…good as new," Murdock said with a false cheer.

"Nothing…good 'bout…me," Face slurred and then he was out once more.


	5. Chapter 5

Sorry for the delay, had no internet for a few days after a thunderstorm.

Chapter 5

Hannibal looked toward their old friend and tried to explain it the best he could, even though he didn't understand it himself. "We've been on the run for a decade and sometimes we just go into what I can only describe as 'mission mode'. Get through the mission and move on. We don't stop and take the time to make sure each other are okay…we just go through the motions. We messed up badly this time…but, God, it wasn't because we meant to hurt Face."

Dr. Thompson waved Hannibal off. "No need to explain any more. I can't imagine what you four have been through. The fact that you are still together is a testament to how much you mean to each other."

"We a family," B.A. stated.

"Yup…Face, the big guy, and I are brothers."

"Me and my big mouth," B.A. groaned.

"Cheer up, B.A. At least Murdock didn't just insinuate that you are old enough to be the father."

"Hey, man, if the grey hair fits…," B.A. teased.

"Point taken, sergeant…don't rub it in."

Thompson laughed at the antics. "Now this is the A-Team I remember."

But they all realized that the team wouldn't be complete until Face was well. The first step toward that came early the next morning when Face's temperature dropped a couple of degrees and the doctor decided it was time to go ahead and prep Face for the surgery. Face was awake and aware of his surroundings, but still his emotions were clouded by pain. He was still angry but couldn't even say at what or whom. The anger changed into pure fear as the doctor explained what he was about to do. Just lying there and being left alone did hurt like hell, he sure couldn't take being sliced open while awake, numbing agent or not.

"Okay Face, let's start with the numbing agent. I brought a portable ultra sound along but I have to press down on your belly to get a clear picture of what I'm dealing with. That's why I didn't use it so far, I mean we know what was done to you and your pain and fever makes it quite clear how deep the infection goes, but I don't want any surprises after I have opened you up, especially not here under less than ideal conditions. Knowing you, you'll probably have a reaction on the numbing agent too but I hope it will be a mild one."

The feeling of the needle repeatedly stabbing him was hard to take for Face, after the second shot they had to hold him down and tears were flowing freely. But as the doc started to press the ultrasound device into his belly the sensation was too much and Face blacked out. Hannibal, Murdock and BA were relieved but Dr. Thompson had his forehead in wrinkles. Hannibal didn't like the look on his face or the small noises he made as he moved the device and pressed it into Face's belly at all.

Finally the doctor put the devise away and rubbed his hands over his face. "I don't understand this."

"What is it Keith? Do we need to rush him to a hospital? Murdock, go get a helicopter."

"No, don't panic. He's far better off than I thought. It's good news. The incision is infected, that is clear to see, but the infection doesn't go deep. The piece of bone has shifted and needs to be brought back into position but that and the shallow infection shouldn't have him in such unbearable pain. The fever too shouldn't have had such a strong hold on him. I really don't understand this. But at least he's not in any immediate danger right now, he could always develop a sepsis but there are no signs yet."

"Does that mean you don't have to cut him again?"

"Sorry BA, I still want to open him back up and remove the infection. The way this fever had a grip on him I don't want to try only antibiotics. Besides the incision and the stitches look so bad it will leave a really ugly scar which can easily be corrected now."

Face was waking up again and had heard some of the conversation.

"Ugly?"

"Faceman you haven't changed any. You're out cold but whenever someone mentions your looks you're wide awake. Don't worry I'll fix it for you."

Face was anything but wide awake but he knew they were speaking about him. If Hannibal thought he was ugly he would kick him out for sure. He had to make sure he had heard the doc. He turned his gaze to Hannibal and saw the concern there, probably he was thinking of how to get supplies now that he wasn't good for anything again. "Han'bal…not ugly…doc fix…it….good as…as new."

Hannibal bending down right into his line of vision and stroking his hair came unexpected and confused Face. "Don't worry kid, you'll be as good as new in no time, besides its only your belly, it's covered most of the time."

"Belly…not…face." The words were weak and slurred and Face was out again.

"Okay, out now, Hannibal you stay and assist me, let's scrub up and get sterile as good as we can."

Dr. Thompson was very careful and since Face was out of it he took his time and tried to work as accurate as possible. The whole procedure took about half an hour and at the end Hannibal saw that the incision looked far better than before, even though it was freshly stitched and red. Last he pushed the bone back into place from the outside and used the ultrasound to check if it was positioned right. When he was satisfied he covered Face up with a sterile cloth and went over to a sink to clean up.

"Hannibal, I still don't get it. He shouldn't be in such a bad shape. Face had quite a high tolerance for pain when I knew him."

"He still has, he's whining without end about a cold but covers up gunshot wounds."

"This all doesn't make sense." They both thought in silence for a while.

"Can I go get the others?"

"Sure but they should disinfect their hands before coming in."

When Hannibal returned Keith had an idea. "The only thing I can think of is the concussion. Maybe it's far worse than we thought. You said he was hit straight in the face?"

"Yeah, he went out like a light and when he came around he wasn't responding well."

"He was bleeding from his mouth and nose, that's for sure, from his ears we can't really rule out but don't know. He didn't rest much, carried heavy things, run around and swung a big hammer. What else happened?"

"He seemed normal, he kissed the girl goodbye and then sprinted after our Jeep and jumped in the back. Then…"

"He what? Ah…just go on."

"Then he rode in the back together with Murdock and a friend of ours, the ride was quite bumpy, then we stood around in the sun until BA had fixed the van, that took about an hour, well, and in the van he mainly slept. When he started complaining later on we thought he was sulking and left him in the car while we went for dinner. We returned about an hour later and he was in a real bad shape."

Keith had put his head in his hands half way through the tale and just groaned as Hannibal finished. "Hannibal, you should go refresh your first aid course, all of you. If I may summarize, you let a concussed man fight, run, jump, be on a bumpy ride, stand in the sun and to top it off you left him alone for a full hour while he was already complaining about symptoms. That would not have happened to the A-Team I knew in Nam."

Hannibal and Murdock looked down but BA still tried to plead his case. "But he was fine."

"That's exactly the reason why concussion victims are being watched closely for at least 24 hours. And since we're talking about Face here I'm really surprised you simply believed he was fine, even I know better than to trust him on that subject."

That made BA study his shoes too.

"Anyway, at least we have a possible explanation now. With a proper concussion he's probably too confused to concentrate on pushing the pain down and let's all of it get to him. Our ability to handle pain and emotions needs concentration and that's hard with a concussion. It also gets his system out of whack, hence the strong hold of the fever."

"Coming to think of it," Murdock piped up, "His mood was changing between angry, begging for relief and afraid to die."

"This is just getting better, I'll get you a book and have you all take an exam with me. Now let's concentrate on our patient here. We need to monitor him closely, he's to have company at all times, close monitoring of his vitals and strictly no movements until that rib has mended into position some. We can expect more mood swings but we have to stay strict. As soon as he shows signs of waking I'll start him on pain meds. It's going to leave him weak but that's to be expected anyway from the antibiotics I have him on. Let's just hope he won't be too sick, I don't want this rib to move out of place too much."

"What if he does, I mean it's pretty normal for him."

"Well, in the worst case I would have to wire the bone together but let's not get ahead of ourselves."

They all got into motion when they heard a car pulling up to the house. Murdock recognized the car and opened the door.

"Dr. Richter."

"Hello Murdock, your call sounded so urgent that I decided to come." Looking around he asked, "Where's Lieutenant Peck? Oh, Colonel, your secret is safe with me, has been for years."

Hannibal couldn't help but eye the psychiatrist with suspicion. Still, if Murdock says he could be trusted, he was willing to give the man a chance. "Thank you for all you have done for Murdock."

"Yeah," B.A. agreed. "He ain't as bad as he used to be, but the dude still nuts."

Murdock slithered right up next to B.A. and asked, "what kind?"

"What kind of what, fool?"

"What kind of nut? I'm partial to peanuts myself."

"I'm gonna turn you into peanut butter if you don't…"

Hannibal cleared his throat loudly. "Um…children…behave yourselves or I'll put you into time out." Turning back toward Richter he introduced the other doctor present. "This is Keith Thompson…he was a medic in Nam…and a good friend."

The two medical professionals shook hands and then got right down to business. Thompson explained the physical injuries to Face and the procedure he had just preformed."

"What's the lieutenant's prognosis?"

"The incision site looks good and should heal nicely…as should his rib."

"I feel a 'but' coming," Richter predicted.

"But…he must remain still and calm."

"And why should this be a problem? I'm sure any movement will be quite painful."

Thomson nodded. "Yes, but Face took quite a shot to the head and has a bad concussion. While I'm not worried that it will lead to any long term problems, he has already showed signs of irritability."

"And B.A. already has the corner on that market." B.A. growled at Murdock and made a move as if he was going to come after the pilot. Murdock ducked behind his psychiatrist. "And, as you can see, he's quite successful."

Being a psychiatrist, Richter had taken many of the same classes taken by a student striving to be a medical doctor. As a result, Dr. Thompson felt comfortable turning things over to his new colleague. "I think Face is in good hands now and I really should be getting back to my practice. Please call me if you need anything whatsoever…I'd do anything to help you guys in Nam…and that will never change."

Hannibal, Murdock and B.A. took turns saying their good-byes and watched as a part of their past drove away. They were yanked back to the present as Face let out a load moan.

Dr. Richter had stayed with him while they said their good-byes and was just putting away the syringe he had used to inject Face with the prescribed pain meds when they piled into the room. Face moaned again and attempted to move so Hannibal took both of his shoulders.

"Keep still kid, just keep real still."

Confused and pain clouded eyes looked up at him. The numbing agent had left Face's system and the pain killer had yet to take effect. He felt fire burning him and his mind was taken to a different time. 'no, not that, please, not again.'

"Han'bal…help me."

"Shh kid, you'll feel better soon. Just keep still."

Hannibal's lips were moving but no sound came out. All he could hear was the pounding in his skull. But Hannibal held him there for the VC to burn him.

"Why? Han'bal…help me…hurts so."

"I know kid, shh, you'll feel better soon."

Face's eyes rolled back again and Hannibal run his hands over his eyes. He hated not to be able to help the kid and it clearly showed. Richter had never met the team in Nam but thought back to all the things Murdock had told him about them. It seemed clear that they cared deeply for each other. But then there was Murdock and his behavior. He was very upset, more than he should be from worry over his friend's health.

"By the time he wakes up again the pain meds should have some effect."

"I only hope it will be a positive one. With the antibiotics already in his system…" Hannibal trailed of looking down at a pale Face.

Richter turned to Murdock who stood by the window. "Murdock, Face is resting now. I think you and I should have a little talk."

Murdock didn't say anything, he went over to Face and carefully stroked his hair. Then he let Dr. Richter out of the room to a more secluded place of the house.

For the next thirty minutes Murdock filled the doc in about what had happened. Richter could now understand why Murdock was so anxious. Guilt was eating away at him. He did his best to convince him that nothing of this mess was his fault but inwardly he didn't know how to place the whole situation. Was it Murdock's mind playing tricks with him? This didn't sound like the team Murdock had been telling him about at all. Or was it hero worship on Murdock's side and the team wasn't so much in sync as he always portrayed it? He would have to watch carefully and maybe, if things turned out to be rather negative for Murdock he would have to limit his chances for escape. For now he could see Murdock getting anxious to get back to his injured friend and they returned just in time to witness the angry version of Face waking up.

Face woke to find that the pain in his abdomen and head had abated to a gnawing ache. While the sensation was less intense, it was constant and irritating. He lay there with his eyes closed just listening to Hannibal and B.A. talking; his mood seeming to darken by the second for no apparent reason.

But it wasn't until Murdock entered the room and asked, "How's Face doing?", that Face snapped.

Face's eyes popped open and glared at the men across the room from him. "How the hell do you think I am?" he spat. When all he received were shocked looks in reply he added, "Oh, that's right. None of you ever took the time to think about me before, did you?" Again, he was met with silence. "What's wrong? You're never quiet when you want something from me."

"Face," Hannibal started in as calm a voice as he could muster, "that's not true. I know you're hurt…"

"You don't know anything you miserable excuse for a leader. Some leader you are…you led your men right into a life on the run." Face snorted. "I'm not sure who I blame more, you for giving the orders, or me for being stupid enough to follow them."

Dr. Richter stood in the corner of the room and out of Face's line of vision. He contemplated stepping in, but instead chose to let the scene play out before him. He found that often blind observation was the best tool to getting to the root of a problem.

"C'mon buddy…just take it easy."

"This coming from a man living in a funny farm. Sorry, Murdock, but I don't think you're one to give out advice."

Face saw the hurt look on Murdock's face and felt a pang of regret. He didn't mean what he was saying, but he couldn't seem to stop himself. It was as if he were watching himself from outside his body.

Hannibal decided to give it another try. "This isn't you, kid."

"I don't even know who I am, colonel. I'm a con-man…I lie for a living." His mask of anger turned to sadness for a brief moment as he said softly, "I don't even know my real name."

"Why don't you take a few deep breaths and try to calm down."

Face rolled his fire filled eyes. "Because deep breaths will feel real good to my ribs at the moment."

B.A. had tried to stay out of it, but Face's sarcastic tone of voice sent him over the edge. "That's enough, Faceman. You goin' too far man."

"Have you looked at yourself in the mirror lately, Baracus? If that haircut of yours isn't going too far, I don't know what is."

"I'm warnin' you man."

"Ooh…I'm scared." Face mocked. "You don't scare me you walking jewelry store." Face could feel the pressure building in his head and his vision was starting to go blurry. But still he couldn't control his mouth. "Your mama must be so proud to have a son who wears more jewelry than a cheap hooker."

Face's head felt like it was going to explode, but unfortunately it was B.A. who exploded first; he was on top of Face before Hannibal or Murdock could hold him back. He brought Face up by the collar of the thin hospital gown he was still wearing growling at him "Nobody talks about me and ma mama like that." He brought his fist back but before he even knew whether he wanted to throw the punch or just threaten the man Murdock and Hannibal had him by the shoulders. At the same moment the buttons that held the arms of Face's shirt, which was open at the back, together gave out from the pressure and all three men staggered backwards as the sudden loss of weight sent them into motion.

It wasn't a long fall, BA had managed to draw Face up by only about ten inches before the buttons gave out, and it was cushioned by the pillow but still Face's head felt like an erupting volcano. He let out a groan through gritted teeth and brought his hands to his head pressing them together with all his might while the rest of his body bucked upwards.

Since Hannibal and Murdock were still struggling to hold onto a furious BA Dr. Richter jumped forward and grabbed Face by the shoulders to try and keep him from moving. He was struggling but it was working for the moment.

"BA, stand down, what do you think you're doing."

"Nobody insults me like this." BA shouted while waving Face's shirt in the air as if he was going to shake its previous occupant.

"Face doesn't know what he's saying, calm down. He'll probably never remember he even said this."

"What makes you so sure, as he said he's a liar by nature. Maybe that was his true self speaking."

Richter noticed that only Hannibal and BA were speaking but he was too busy keeping Face in check than to turn around and check on Murdock.

As the fog slowly cleared some Face could hear BA's angry tone but not understand the words. A picture of BA right on top of him flashed through his mind and then he felt hands digging into his shoulders. 'BA's mad, I made him mad.' But then he recognized the hands were not BA's, they were smaller. He blinked his eyes open and at first was confused but as his eyes adjusted to the light he recognized Dr. Richter.

His body became very still all in a sudden and the confusion turned to fear. He frantically looked around as much as his position allowed him. First he didn't see them at all but then he spotted all his team members by the door. His position didn't allow him a good view and Dr. Richter was still holding on to him. As he turned his eyes to his team again he had a feeling that they were further away than just a moment ago.

"No, Hannibal, please don't leave me here. Please, don't leave me at the VA, I can still do my job, I promise…I'll get you all you want, please don't leave me here, Murdock…BA…no…" It was all too much for him and his eyes rolled back again.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Hannibal pushed B.A. out the door. "Outside, sergeant…now," he ordered. "Murdock, stay here with the doc and Face."

Murdock nodded and waited for the door to close before turning his attention back to the bed.

Dr. Richter was monitoring Face's vitals and looked concerned. His heart rate was too fast and his blood pressure too high, but as he continued to take readings over the next few minutes they gradually settled back to somewhat acceptable levels. He pulled a light blanket on top of Face before realizing that Murdock was still frozen in the same position.

"You okay, H.M.?"

Murdock didn't respond; just kept staring at Face.

"H.M.?"

"Hmm? What…oh, sorry."

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah…I'm okay." Murdock moved over to a nearby chair and sat down heavily. "How's Face?"

"He'll be okay once he gets past this concussion." The doctor pulled a chair up next to Murdock and joined him. "You want to talk about how you are feeling?"

"You're not here for me, doc. You don't have to do this."

"Do what?" Richter asked innocently. "Inquire about how a person I care about is doing?"

Murdock smiled; the doctor always had a way to get him to open up. "It's just that Face has always been there for me, you know?"

Richter nodded. "Yes, I know."

"It couldn't have been easy for him to watch me…um, well…you know…during my episodes."

"No, I'm sure it wasn't."

Murdock pulled his cap off of his head and started to fiddle with it as the vague memories of the early days after Nam came back. "He treated me like I was still me and never judged me…even though I'm sure I said some really awful things at times."

"Because he knew the real H.M."

"Exactly. And I know the real Faceman…or Templeton Peck…and he didn't mean any of those things he said before."

The doctor probed a bit deeper. "Still, it had to hurt to hear."

"Sure…but only because I know how much he is suffering. I hurt for Face…not for myself. So you see, doc, please don't spend any time worrying about me. This time it's all about Face; it's my turn to be strong for him as he has always been for me."

Dr. Richter smiled brightly. "You make me very proud."

Murdock blushed. "You're the best head shrinker I know…after all these years it's a wonder my head hasn't disappeared!"

Meanwhile, outside, B.A. was starting to wish he could disappear as Hannibal continued to rip into him.

"The man is sick, B.A.! He's supposed to remain calm and still…and what do you do? You yell at him and physically attack him!"

B.A. watched Hannibal pace furiously. He knew the colonel was right, but he still felt the need to defend himself. "But them things he was sayin'…"

"Were the result of a head injury! You of all people have a lot of nerve after what you called him a couple of years back when you were hit upside the head with a baseball bat."

"What you talkin' about man? I don't remember callin' him nothin'."

"Exactly…and what you said was ten times worse. But he just stood there and took it…and never mentioned it again."

B.A. felt his stomach start to twist in knots. "What…um…what did I say?"

"Let's just say that you called him a no good liar and cheat…and in not such nice terms. And then after you beat him up enough about that you said that the reason he was an orphan was that his parents saw he was no good and gave him away."

B.A. looked down at the ground too ashamed to look Hannibal in the eye anymore. "I can't believe I said that."

"Believe it."

"But…but I don't think any of that about him."

"I know that…just like Face didn't really mean what he said about us." Hannibal paused before adding. "The one difference is that Face said things about all of us…whereas you only said bad things about him."

B.A. looked up again in shock. "What?"

"In fact you told me that I was your idol and told Murdock that he was…and I quote…'your brother from a different mother'."

"Now I know that I was delirious," B.A. mumbled. "Poor Faceman…I…I…don't know what ta say, man."

"Next time try saying nothing," Hannibal said and then started back inside. Without looking back he added, "I'll give you five minutes to get yourself together and then I expect you inside, sergeant."

"Yes, sir."

Hannibal opened the door to Face's room slowly to see Murdock and Dr. Richter talking softly.

"…some truth in it."

"But that can't be, he doesn't think that way."

"Are you sure?"

"Very sure."

"I don't want to disturb the conversation but how is my Lieutenant doing?"

"He was very upset but after some time his vitals normalized some. I don't think BA's attack has worsened anything, but it sure didn't help either, especially with the concussion. That little drop he did must have felt like being hit over the head again."

"Colonel, the doc just told me that Face really thinks that way about us."

Hannibal took a moment to follow Murdock's thoughts back to the earlier incident. "He thinks what way?"

"The things he said. You don't think he means it, do you?"

"No, of course not. You know him."

Dr. Richter had wanted to stay out of things as much as possible to get a good feeling of the team but he had to right something here. "Murdock, what I said is that when a concussion victim gets angry there's still some truth in his words. I didn't say he means it exactly as he said but I would advice all of you to not just ignore his words and put them away as the result of his injury, think about what he said."

BA returned to the room in time to hear what the doc said and remained thoughtful by the door.

"Still, I don't think he thinks that way about us, Face is not a bitter person and very independent. If he really hated us so much he would have left long ago."

"Colonel, I didn't say he hates any of you. Just think about what he said and remove the bitterness, the sarcasm, the additions and take the underlying statement. What did he say about you?"

"That I gave the orders that led him to a life on the run, and that he blames me for that."

"Not exactly, he wasn't sure whether to blame you or himself."

"Well, that still leaves the orders."

"And I'm sure you won't deny the fact that you gave them. Haven't you wished that day to hell a thousand times over yourself?"

"Sure I did." Hannibal still looked skeptical and Dr. Richter decided to push on some more.

"The truth in Face's words was that he wished those orders had never been given and that he could lead a normal life now. Can you blame him for that?"

"No, no for sure not. We all wish that."

"See, that's why I'm telling you to think about what he said rather than pushing it aside as the delirious words of a sick person. It can help you understand your Lieutenant better."

"So you mean that because I'm at the VA he doesn't take me serious?"

"Murdock, you know Face, he's your best buddy. Does he play along with your episodes?"

"He does."

"And would you take yourself serious during those times if you were an outsider?"

"No."

"And does he take you serious if you come to him with a real problem?"

"Sure."

"See."

"Thanks doc."

"And my mama has been complaining about my haircut and gold. It's not everybody's taste. Guess I just gave him an opening at the wrong time."

They stood around the bed in silence for a few minutes before BA spoke again. "But I don't mean any of the things I said about him."

"You sure BA?"

"Sure I'm sure Hannibal."

"So you fully approve of his lifestyle?"

"Well…uhm…no, I don't."

Face woke up to hear the last few statements. Gone was his previous anger replaced by a feeling of immense sadness. Afraid that if he opened his eyes they would spring a leak, he left them shut and continued to listen in.

"B.A.?" Murdock asked simply, the surprise evident on his face.

Dr. Richter put a hand on Murdock's arm to stop him for saying any more. "Would you like to explain your feelings, B.A.?"

"Hey, doc…no offense or nothin'…but you're Murdock's shrink."

"Yes, but what does that have to do with anything?" Richter countered.

"You may get that fool to talk about his feelings and such, but that kind of jibber-jabberin' ain't for me."

"C'mon, B.A. You just admitted that you don't approve of Face's lifestyle. I think it's only fair that you back your statement up."

Face inwardly cringed as Hannibal reiterated that B.A. didn't approve of him, but he wasn't so sure he wanted to hear the reasons why. His mind went back to another time when B.A. told him and the others just that.

"You think that you so high class, Faceman...but you ain't no better than us. In fact, you ain't no good at all. You a liar and a two-faced snake. The only difference between you and the thugs we put away is…well…is nothin'.

B.A. had continued on a bit more and Face just stood there taking it all in stride. After all, B.A. had been knocked out and was half out of his mind…or was he? But then the sergeant started in on a topic that was like a dagger to his heart.

"You know why you an orphan? 'Cause your own mother and father didn't want ya. They could see that you was no good and that's why they left you behind."

When all was said and done and B.A.'s tirade had ended with him drifting back to sleep, Face walked outside by himself and stood staring straight ahead but seeing nothing. He didn't blame B.A.; ironically, he actually agreed with him at some level. He made the decision to never mention what was said and by the time he went back inside he had pushed the words deep down inside him as he did most of his feelings.

Face was catapulted back to the present as B.A. started to speak again. "Fine…you wanna know? Then I'll tell you."

As he listened to what B.A. was saying it hurt as much, if not more, than his physical injuries. This time he couldn't explain away the muscle bound man's words as the product of a concussion. Tears began to seep underneath Face's closed eyelids.

"He's a no good liar and cheat, that's why I don't approve of him"

"Sergeant!"

"Colonel, if you would let me lead the discussion."

Hannibal was still mad at BA from earlier on and this didn't help him any, but if the shrink thought he could right things he would let him, to some extent. He nodded and Dr. Richter went on.

"That's quite big words BA, why do you say he's a liar and cheat."

"You don't know him, do you? He's a conman, he lies for a living. Lying is a sin and he who grew up catholic does it every day without the slightest hint of regret. He scams all kind of things, always wants the biggest house, pretends to be somebody high class while he's as low as it gets."

This time Richter had to hold back Murdock before he could go on. "He scams things for you too, even your place to live if I'm right."

"Yeah, well…but I have a normal apartment and not some flashy place I don't fit in. But that all could be tolerated if he was not chasing skirts like that. I really hate the way he treats women. He uses them and tosses them away as if they were nothin', he of all people should know better than that. He promises them heaven on earth end the next week he goes out with a different one. That's just despicable."

Everybody was busy watching BA and nobody saw the wet trails on Face's cheeks, but the last few sentence were very hard for Face to take. He had always thought that although BA did not approve of his lifestyle he was still his friend and to some extent liked him as a person, it seemed he was so wrong. Finally a small sob escaped his lips and Hannibal turned towards the bed.

Upon seeing the wetness on Face's cheeks he cursed. "Sergeant, out. Now."

"No Colonel hold on, Face too needs to hear what BA got to say."

"No, not at all, and certainly not now. BA, out."

BA just stood there while the rest had turned to Face. He took a step closer saying "but it's true" but Hannibal turned around and his eyes made BA reconsider. He left the room grumping to himself. He knew of his strength but he also knew that he was no match for a furious Hannibal, especially if he didn't fight back to not hurt the colonel.

"Colonel, I think you made a mistake here…."

"No doc, you made one. Kid, talk to me, please look at me kid."

Dr. Richter made sure Face's vitals were acceptable and then went after BA , leaving Hannibal and Murdock to care for Face.

"BA, do you really mean all you just said?"

"Sure, I'm no liar."

"Or were you just upset that Murdock's shrink got under your skin?"

"Listen, man, B.A. Baracus don't say nothin' unless he means it."

Dr. Richter nodded his head in understanding. "Okay, fair enough."

"Look, man…it ain't like I hate the Faceman or anythin'."

"Can you see how it might sound like that?"

B.A.'s voice was rising as he was becoming increasingly defensive. "You the ones who made me say them things…don't blame me if you don't like it."

"Fair enough."

"You said that already, man."

"Did I?" the doctor asked knowing full well that he had. "Did you ever stop to think why Face may do the things he does?"

B.A. shook his head. "Don't matter why…it still ain't right."

"Maybe not," he said noncommittally, but Richter wasn't ready to stop yet. "But maybe it can help make it easier to understand."

"Fair enough," B.A. said, then rolled his eyes as he realized what he had uttered.

"Face is an orphan," Richter stated taking a seat on the couch.

"Yeah." B.A. hesitated before joining the doctor.

"Perhaps that shaped his behavior. You work with troubled kids, no?" B.A. shook his head 'yes' and he continued. "Would it be a fair statement to say that the reason for their troubles often stems from their family life…or lack thereof?"

"True 'nuff. But Face ain't a kid no more."

"No…no he isn't. Seems to me he never had a chance to be one."

B.A.'s complexion paled slightly as the words began to sink in; he had no response.

"Tell me, B.A., do you think Face ever sets out to intentionally hurt people?"

Still no response from the sergeant.

"You say you don't approve of the lieutenant's lifestyle…but I say that maybe you only know what you choose to see."

B.A. looked into the doctor's eyes, his own growing moist with emotion.

"Think about it," Richter said getting to his feet. "I'll give you some time alone."

Inside the bedroom, Face still wouldn't open his eyes; the shame he felt was too great.

"Come on kid, look at me."

Face slowly shock his head 'no' and winced at the renewed pain.

"Come on buddy, the big guy didn't mean what he said."

"He did." The answer was whispered and sounded very sad.

"Why are you saying this Face."

"Because he's right. I just refused to see it myself."

"Kid, come on, look at us. You're wrong, so wrong."

Face still didn't open his eyes, he couldn't stand to see the looks on their faces he was sure were there. "He said it before and I blamed it on his concussion. I should have listened and changed my life but I thought I know better. I'm the same as all the scum we put behind bars, if not worse. I don't deserve to be on the team." The last part of his statement was almost inaudible and the sad and at the same time bitter tone of voice shocked them into silence. Before Hannibal could start to protest vehemently Face passed out again.

Dr. Richter entered at just this moment and Murdock leaped forward. "Doc, why does he keep passing out like that? The concussion should let up. He's scaring me."

"It's alright Murdock, it still has a strong hold on him and it can take a while for it to break. What he needs most now is rest and his body is claiming it." Stepping over to the Lieutenant he added "I'm rather concerned about his mental health, that's also rather my department."

"Speaking of, I'll be back." With Face out of the picture and the doc back in the room Hannibal had time to concentrate on BA and let his anger surface.

"Colonel…" Dr. Richter wanted to hold him back but the door closed behind Hannibal before he could even speak up.

"BA doesn't mean those things." It was more a question than a statement.

"I know Murdock, and the Colonel is hopefully about to find out. Now we only have to get the message across to the Lieutenant here, that's going to be the tough part of it."

Murdock was comfortable around the doctor and had faith that he could right some things with the team once he was here. "He's…sometimes he's like a big child. I can see how carefree he is when he plays along with my episodes; sometimes I do it just to get him out of some funk. But then all in a sudden he sobers again and it's over, just like he wants to be a carefree child but then he remembers he's a grown up and has to be rational at all times. As if he thinks everybody expects him to act…well…grown and he's not allowed to play."

Dr. Richter pulled two chairs over to Face's bedside and indicated for Murdock to sit. "You know what Murdock? You spend too much time among shrinks."

"What the hell did you think you were doing sergeant?"

The lack of response from BA made Hannibal more furious than he was and he drew BA up by the collar of his overall. It was a funny picture but the Colonels expression was anything but funny. "What do you think gave you the right to join the line of people that kicked this kid when he's down already?"

"Hey, you and the shrink wanted me to talk…"

"And I thought you had some brains in there. You're just looking at the surface without looking deeper." Hannibal gave BA a shove for him to fall back on the couch and started to pace. BA knew better than to utter another sound but just let Hannibal chew him out and wait for it to be over. Deep down he knew he deserved it but it still didn't make it easier.

"You think I would just watch without intervening if what you said was all he did? Ever got the idea that he's just tasting the things he couldn't do when he was small? Did you play king and doctor and professor and artist and god knows what when you were small? He's just doing it big time that's all, he has to scam a place anyway so why not live a dream for a while? By now you should have noticed that I do step in when he overdoes it and draws too much attention to himself. Look at your outside appearance, you're not really keeping a low profile but you accuse the kid of living in places he doesn't fit in. And the part with the women was low, yes he does flirt a lot and changes dates but it's not like he could stick around for long without getting himself and us in trouble. I never caught him giving out promises of a long relationship and I don't think you did. He's usually quite open about the fact that his line of work doesn't allow him to stay at one place for too long. Do you want to deny him the right to love and be loved even if it's for only some days or weeks?"

BA just sat there and shook his head 'no'.

"Good; because he's seriously lacking experience in that department. Now get out of here. I don't want to see you again for the rest of the day."

Hannibal stomped back toward the house but turned back briefly to see B.A. walking toward the van. "I'm getting too old for this crap," he sighed and then went inside.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Face woke to a dark room. Once his eyes adjusted he also realized that he was alone. He wasn't sure if he should be relieved for the privacy or upset by it. But then he heard voices next door and strained to hear what they were saying.

"B.A.'s been out there a long time, colonel."

"I know Murdock…I expect him to spend the night in the van."

"But…"

"But nothing…I said I didn't want to see him for the rest of the day and I meant it."

"John, we really need to get to the root of these team issues."

"I know doc…I know."

"I have to confess that the team before me is quite different than the one portrayed by Murdock for all these years."

"Since Face got hurt we are different."

"Colonel…Doc…why don't we get something to eat while Face is still out. Then I'll take the first shift with him. Maybe after some food and rest we can start to work on things."

Face's head throbbed from the effort it took to listen in, but his heart ached hearing that his getting hurt triggered all of the problems. And B.A. was being punished for speaking what he really felt to be true. 'If anybody's to blame it's me…I have to do something to make it right.'

Face knew he had to take advantage of the others being in the kitchen to make his move…but how he was going to move was another story. 'Slowly…very slowly.'

He knew it was stupid; he had surgery and a badly broken rib. 'I'll blame it on my head injury,' he thought. 'Because anybody in their right mind would stay put.'

The worst part was getting out of bed; his belly ached fiercely and his head swam. But he found that once he was on his feet and holding onto the wall he could inch his way along at slow pace. The kitchen was in the opposite direction of the front door and for that Face was grateful. Once he was outside the cool air felt like heaven against his still warm skin.

The van was just down at the end of a long driveway. Following the path illuminated by the moonlight, Face staggered aimlessly toward his destination. Amazed when he was actually successful in reaching the van he fell against the door with a loud thud that brought a dozing BA back to awareness. He looked around in the darkness to see what had caused the noise but couldn't see anything. Instincts on alert he grabbed his gun and was about to slowly open the door when he heard another sound as if something was scraping along the side of the van.

"Darn dogs out here, it better pray it hasn't left any marks on my…Faceman!" BA was shocked to see Face trying to pull himself up but not finding a grip on the closed sliding door of the van.

"Man you trying to get both of us in trouble? What you doing out here?" Contrary to his harshly spoken words BA carefully helped Face up and into a sitting position with his back to the van.

"BA I….need….I…tell you….I ….need…." The pounding in his head and the pain in his abdomen made it difficult to get the words out. Besides he only knew he needed to do something but didn't know what.

"Calm down Faceman, what is it? Did something happen? I dozed but I didn't see or hear anything."

"No….fine….I…BA…you're right….I….screw up….sorry." Face's eyes rolled back and it was all BA could do to keep him from keeling over.

"No Faceman, I was wrong to say them things about you and you're one difficult dude. Wonder why I never saw what a big kid you are, today you sure behave like a five year old." BA picked up the unconscious man and carried him back towards the house, being careful not to aggravate his injuries.

"Hannibal!"

"What are you yelling around here Face needs…oh my god, Face. What did you do?"

"What I did? Question is what you did."

"Sergeant…"

"Oh, cut the crap and open the darn bedroom door already, he's getting heavy."

"What happened?"

"How am I supposed to know? We were all there when Keith said he's not to be left alone and then you allow him to wander around outside."

"I didn't allow him to wander around," Hannibal retorted hotly as the larger man placed Face down on top of the sheets.

"Oh no? What did he do then…fly over to my van?"

"That's enough, sergeant."

Murdock entered the room with Dr. Richter right on his heels. "That's enough from both of you…let the doc check Face over."

Still glaring at each other, both Hannibal and B.A. obliged and moved out of the way to separate corners of the room. All eyes were on the psychiatrist as he lifted Face's shirt to check out his surgical incision and felt along his rib cage. "Luckily, he didn't pull any stitches…and I don't feel any abnormalities."

"How about his head, doc?"

Richter smiled at his longtime patient. "If I could see inside a person's head so easily, I would have been out of business a long time ago. We'll just have to wait and see how he responds when he comes back around."

They didn't have to wait long for Face to start to moan softly, his head tossing from side to side. They circled around the bed with the exception of B.A. who remained put. It took a few more minutes for his eyes to open, and a few more after that for them to remain that way.

"Welcome back, kid. Did you have a nice little walk?" Hannibal tried to keep the tone light so as not to further agitate Face. But he was still annoyed with B.A. and the strain in his voice was clear. Unfortunately, it came across to Face as if the anger was directed at him.

"I'm…s…sor…ry." His head felt heavy and there was a pulsating pain radiating from what felt like behind his eyes and all the way around his skull.

"It's okay, Facey. Can you tell us what you remember?"

"I…um…I…," Face was having trouble getting his thoughts together. He looked at the men standing above him…but somebody was missing. Then suddenly it started falling into place. B.A.! "B.A. Had to…tell…B.A. Where…where is…he? Did I…make…him go? My fault…he was…right. I'm no…good. Even parents…didn't want…me. Make him…stay…I'll go."

"Stop that crazy jibber jabber fool."

"I didn't say anything."

"You not the only fool here." The banter had distracted the others but for Face it was a shock to hear BA's deep voice. His whirling mind was just able to grasp the few facts his eyes saw and BA didn't fit into the picture. He was so startled that he lost his grip on reality again. By the time he blinked his eyes open again he saw only BA standing right over him. His mind mixed memories of what he had wanted to do with reality and he saw himself outside by the van, talking to BA.

"I don't want to hear such nonsense again. Ain't nobody going."

"But…but you're out here, it's not right…Hann'bal …not your fault…you were right."

"No I was wrong, now stop it and rest."

"But…but I'm useless…I'm not strong like you. All I can do Murdock can too, even better…. Even if his face is messed up he could scam and if not he can fly, not useless like me. You are all better off without me…you shouldn't be out here."

"Oh man, you really took a good hit this time. One, you ain't useless and two, we're inside."

Again that information didn't fit in the picture and made his head spin. "Not outside…but the van…"

"The van's still outside. You blacked out and I carried you back, see we're inside, everybody is here."

"Here?...What?...Where?...oh….couldn't even do that right." Now that he saw all his team mates and the doc standing around him he felt stupid and cast his eyes down.

"Faceman…I shouldn't have said what I did to ya," B.A. said softly.

This time the other standing men backed up allowing B.A. and Face to have some space to talk.

"Did…did you…mean…it?" Face stuttered nervously.

B.A. looked away. "I shouldn't have said them things."

"But…but did you…did you mean them?"

"Look, man, you had it tough growing up. You only doin' what you know how to do."

"Oh, so that's how it is?" Face's voice was devoid of emotion.

"Yeah…it ain't your fault you didn't learn right from wrong."

There was a collective groan from their audience, but neither Face nor B.A. heard; they were too caught up in their own conversation.

"So…I'm a bad guy…but it's okay on account that I'm an orphan?" If looks could kill, B.A. would be in some serious trouble. "So…you really don't approve of me." The emotion was back and Face balled his fists in an effort to keep control.

"Faceman…my mama taught me not to lie…"

Face cut him off. "And my mama left me on the orphanage doorstep because she hated me."

"That's not what I said, man."

Face sighed and closed his eyes. "Close enough."

"Look at me, Faceman," B.A. ordered. When Face didn't comply he said again, "look at me." Once two pain-filled blue eyes were trained on his own brown ones he continued. "My mama taught me not to lie, so I ain't gonna. Let's get one thing clear…I don't hate you."

"No…but you don't like me. You tolerate me out of pity for my past."

Hannibal was about to step forward and even had his mouth open, but both Dr. Richter and Murdock grabbed an arm and pulled him back. They knew these feelings needed to be vocalized if there was ever to be healing…no matter how painful and what the cost.

"I don't pity you…you a grown man…you know what you doin'. It's just that I understand why now."

"Oh…well thank you for understanding." The statement was dripping with sarcasm. "I guess it made it a lot easier for you to understand all those times I was lying, stealing and cheating to your advantage."

"What you talkin' about?"

"C'mon, B.A. You seem to have no problem with me when I'm getting you a part for your van…or arranging for you to see your mama…or getting things for the center."

"That's different?"

"Oh, is it? Look , B.A., I wish I didn't always have to provide for us the way I do. But the fact is that we are fugitives…it's not as if I can go into a store and buy things."

B.A. nodded. "I know that."

Face's eyes were more focused than they had been in days, in spite of the fact that his head was reeling. "Do you? Because you could have fooled me. All I know is that I try to do my best for us…I never hurt innocent people…and I don't judge others. Which is more than I can say for you."

"Watch it, fool."

"I don't judge you…I wish you wouldn't judge me." Face's voice was growing softer; his words slurring slightly. If he wasn't at the end of his rope he would have never uttered the next words out loud. "I wish you cared about me half as much as I care about you."

"Faceman…I…uh…," B.A. was at a loss. He did care for Face; he loved him like a brother. Somehow things were getting twisted around and coming out the wrong way. Face was right; he was being judgmental. And another thing his mama taught him was not to judge others.

B.A. didn't believe in lying and stealing, but he did believe in Face. Face was a good man…and a good friend. In his quest to be honest he had forgotten that things were not always black and white…sometimes there were shades of gray. 'I spent so much time tellin' him the few things I didn't like…that I forgot to tell him the multiple things I did like.'

The good far outweighed the bad, and B.A. was about to tell him that when Face looked at him with tears in his eyes and said, "It's, okay, really. I…I'm just…so tired. Tired of…of being…being me. S'not easy you know…not easy." Face began to shake and his eyes glazed over. "Just…just so…so tired…so tired."

"Faceman…you alright?"

Dr. Richter took that as his cue to step in. "Talk to me…tell me how you're feeling, lieutenant."

Face sighed and spoke from the heart. "Broken."

Broken…the word though spoken at a barely audible level resonated in the room.

The doctor had a hand on Face's wrist and didn't even need to count to know it was alarmingly fast. "Just take some deep breaths…you're going to be okay."

"No…no…don't think…so." Face's eyes started to roll back, but it was B.A. that kept him conscious a few more seconds.

"Faceman…wait. I gotta tell you…," B.A.'s voice was choking up, "I…I Iove you, man."

Those were the last words Face heard before the darkness engulfed him yet again.

"Doc?"

"He's all worked up but now that he's out…give him some minutes and he'll be okay" 'Or as okay as it gets in his situation' he mentally added.

BA turned around facing Hannibal. His scowl was deeper than usual and he folded his arms over his chest. "Don't even think of sending me out again sucker, if you don't wanna see me you can leave yourself. I'm gonna stay and protect him."

Dr. Richter didn't want to have the next fight at his hands just yet and stepped in between the two men. "It's late and he's very exhausted from the long day. He's probably going to sleep through the night. You can all get some rest.

"Fine with me, come on Murdock let's get some rest then." Murdock didn't really want to go but one look at his therapist and he relented. What disturbed Richter was that Hannibal so easily went out of the room but that could be looked at later, right now he had BA to deal with. He waited for the others to leave the room before he spoke up.

"BA, he's sleeping now, you can get some rest, it was a long day for all of you."

"Told you I'm staying. I'll call you when he wakes up, get some rest yourself doc."

"Why are you doing this?"

"Doing what?"

"Staying awake while you're clearly exhausted to watch over someone whom you don't even approve of."

"Hey man, watch it. You're talking about a member of my team and a good friend. I may not approve of his methods but I do approve of him."

"That's all I wanted to hear."

"Just wish that fool here had heard it too."

"You just told him you love him."

"Yeah, but I'm not sure he heard it. But I'll make sure he hears it when he wakes up again. I did him enough wrong the last days, time to right some things."

Richter patted BA on the shoulder, "I'll be outside. Watch his temperature and heart rate and any abnormalities."

The doc went to the kitchen and poured two cups of coffee then went out on the front porch. Sure enough Hannibal was sitting on the steps, smoking a cigar and watching the stars.

"Mind if I join you?"

"No, it's your place after all."

Richter sat down and Hannibal took the offered coffee. "Your team is interesting."

"Yeah, hotheads. I'm getting too old for this crap."

"What do you mean?"

"BA constantly bickering about Face or threatening to kill Murdock, Murdock and his antics and then Face…not able to follow an order if his life depended on it, he always has to twist it some and end up in trouble, trouble we have to save him from."

"It's not easy to be a leader."

"Sure not, especially with these boys."

"Your lieutenant sure is one interesting case."

"What do you mean?"

"Come on colonel, you know as well as me that he has at least as many issues as Murdock has, and probably not just from the war. Right now I understand that the risk of admitting him is too great but if you get your pardons…my door is always open. "

Hannibal turned towards his companion. "I'm never going to admit that kid anywhere. Why do you even think so?"

"He needs help and he's one interesting case I'm looking forward to handle."

"He gets all the help he needs from his team, that's final."

"I'm sure you do what you can but maybe an outsider…"

Hannibal cut him short. "That subject is closed doc, and I don't want to hear another word about it. Good night." Hannibal rose and went inside.

Richter sat at the stairs smiling to himself. He had Hannibal exactly where he wanted him. He had just admitted that Face needed help and had also shown that he cared deeply for his men, especially his lieutenant. From the little he had seen Face craved approval, especially from his colonel. From how it seemed he had all this and more. Now all he had to do was to make all of them understand what a role they play in the other's lives, piece of cake.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Face felt something warm around his hand. Opening his eyes he was shocked to find that B.A was holding it. He was about to say something when he realized that the larger man was asleep.

There was something innocent and childlike about B.A. when he was asleep…he almost looked like a big teddy bear. 'A teddy bear with a Mohawk and feather earrings,' Face smiled.

His smiled turned upside down into a frown as he remembered the heated words they had exchanged earlier. That's why he couldn't understand why B.A. was by his side now. 'I should be the last person he'd want to be around.'

Strangely, Face thought he had heard B.A. tell him that he loved him. 'You were delirious, Peck…B.A. wouldn't say that…not does he think that. It was a figment of your concussed imagination.'

To say that he and B.A. had a complicated relationship would be putting it mildly. 'But what relationship with me isn't?' Being abandoned as a small child had left him with some serious scars; trust didn't come easy and when it did is was still difficult for Face to give into it completely.

With B.A. it had been exceptionally hard. When Face first joined the unit, the sergeant seemed to have an aversion to the blonde haired, blue-eyed lieutenant and went out of his way to let him know it. Constantly calling him "pretty boy" or "rich kid", he took every opportunity to make his life more difficult.

It wasn't hard for Face to ignore him at first. Growing up in an orphanage he had certainly dealt with his fair share of bullies; he was used to being taunted and tormented. But as the days wore on the attacks became more personal Face felt himself growing weary. He did his job…and he did it damn well. Too well, perhaps. He was working himself ragged and eventually his body had enough.

It was a sweltering hot day and Face had just come back from pulling a double watch. Entering the tent he was dismayed to find the sole occupant was B.A.

"Lookie here…pretty boy ain't lookin' so pretty right now."

Face ignored him and started to peel his sweat soaked clothes off of his body. He bent over to untie his boots when the first wave of dizziness hit. Stumbling he caught himself on the edge of his cot and lowered himself down to his knees.

"That's the trouble with you rich kids…can't even handle a day's work."

Breathing hard, Face pulled himself back up and sat down on the bed. The room started to spin and he held on tightly to his mattress determined not to let B.A. see him weak.

"If your mama was here I bet she wouldn't approve of her baby lookin' such a mess," B.A. teased. "Wouldn't be good for her reputation and all. I bet she'd send the maid to help you get them boots off."

Now determined to prove to B.A. that he could get his own boots off, he once more tried to lean forward. But the dizziness was so bad that he fell off the cot and onto the floor in a heap.

"Peck…ain't funny you fool," B.A. grunted.

Face didn't move; he couldn't move.

"Peck…you alright, man?" B.A. asked moving toward the fallen man.

"Don't…don't feel…so good."

What happened next would change the course of their friendship for years to come. B.A. picked up Face and placed him back onto the bed.

"You burnin' up, kid."

Face began to ramble in his fevered state. "S…sorry. I'm…I'm okay…you can…go. Can take…care of…myself. Have since…as long…as I can…remember. Orphans…don't…don't have…a choice. Seems my mama…didn't approve of…me…long time…ago." And with that Face passed out.

When he woke up next he was in the infirmary and B.A. was holding his hand just like now.

B.A. could feel eyes upon him as he slowly came back to awareness. And he could feel Face's hand slowly pulling out of his grasp.

'I've been a fool all this time. I thought he liked me but he only pitied the orphan in me all this time. Just like now, don't know why I didn't recognize things earlier on.' He pulled his hand away slowly for two reasons, one he didn't want to wake the big guy and two because the simple gesture felt so good and comforting. When he saw that BA's eyes remained shut he shifted his gaze to the separating hands. It was just two hands separating but it felt like so much more.

"What do you think you're doing fool."

BA had startled him and he instinctively pulled his hand away faster but BA tightened his grip catching just Face's fingers.

"Let go I don't need your pity."

"I'm not pitying you, you're grown and as I said you know what you're doing."

"Right from the start you never liked me, you were constantly on me until you knew I'm an orphan. You don't like me, never did."

"Faceman…"

"No…you're right, I'm not better than all those slime balls we put away, I've just been ignoring the truth for so long."

"You are better, you have a conscience."

"Oh yeah, I'm a modern Robin Hood, only I don't give things to those in need, I keep them for myself and for us."

"Well, maybe we are those in need."

"Sometimes, but you were right with the apartments I scam. I should get myself a place that's far lower profile, I don't fit in and it's not necessary. That's not scamming out of need but for my own pleasure. Let go off already, I don't belong here, I'm putting shame on this team."

BA was torn, he had the same opinion than Face about the apartments but saying so wouldn't help matters at all. Besides he sounded so sad, as if he was really broken on the inside. His mama had taught him not to lie but right now he felt the need for a little adjustment of the truth, mama would sure understand.

"Face, it's the rich that can afford getting scammed rather than the poor, and you need a place to live after all. And as for fitting in, you don't know, maybe your parents were doctors or architects or whatever else personalities you take on." He had meant it to cheer Face up a little but it actually made sense. Those rich people left their houses alone all the time, Face didn't harm anybody. And maybe his lack of background was the reason he tried so many different personalities, testing how it would have been.

"But whatever be the case I'm not my parents and therefore not their standard, I'm just a low life thief."

"Now come on Faceman, that ain't true."

"No, I'm also a liar and a cheat."

"I didn't mean it to come out that way…what I mean is…oh man I'm not good at words. I mean on the inside, the real Faceman, you're far better than all the high society suckers I met."

"So I'm only bad on the outside, I'll try to tell that to the judge when I'm getting caught."

"Oh man Face, you're just twisting my words around. Get it through your thick skull, you're my friend, my family….as I said before …I…um….I love you Faceman." Why was it so difficult to utter those simple words?

Speaking of skull, this pounding headache just didn't want to let off and made thinking so difficult. What had BA just said? That he loved him? But it couldn't be, no, it was just his head playing tricks. But he had said it…or had he? And he said he had said so before, wasn't it a dream after all?

"You…you…sorry…what did you just say?"

"You got a problem with your ears too now? Don't make me repeat myself all over again."

"I…sorry." Face looked away and BA felt a pang of guilt. He hadn't meant to be gruff.

"Okay, because you're injured I'll make an exception. I said I love you, and don't you go twist my words round again, not love as in man and woman but as in loving a brother. You got that now or do I have to repeat myself again?"

Face's voice choked up as he said "Got it."

"Good, and just for the record, I didn't hate you in the beginning but I just thought you wouldn't live for a long time anyway, you know, those rich and pretty boys used to get killed within a short time. I didn't want to get used to you and maybe I overdid it a little."

Face listened with only one ear. His mind was swirling and he didn't know where to start. BA had said it, he had really said it, and he seemed to mean it too. He had to blink back some tears, darn concussion; he just couldn't control his emotions like he used to do. He fought for control and BA too didn't speak again. After some awkward silence Face spoke up.

"Um BA…could you let go now?"

"Why, you still think you don't belong into this team anymore?"

"Well…no…my fingers are going numb from your grip and your rings are painfully pressing into my fingers."

"Sorry, then just give me your whole hand as before because I'm not letting go, not for as long as I see some doubt in your eyes…oh me and my mouth…with you we'll grow old together before all your doubts are gone. Now sleep, it's the middle of the night."

When Murdock came to check on Face he found the duo asleep holding onto each other.

When morning arrived, Hannibal decided it was time for a team meeting. Not wanting it to erupt into a team beating, however, he decided to ask Dr. Richter to act as a mediator.

"Gladly," the doctor replied. "Under one condition."

"What's that?"

"You let me steer the conversation and ask the questions."

Hannibal cocked his head to the side in thought. This was his team; he didn't like anybody taking control.

"I know what you're thinking, John."

"I thought you said that you couldn't see inside a person's head?"

Richter nodded. "True, but I seem to be able to make good educated guesses."

Hannibal crossed his arms over his midsection. "Okay, then, what am I thinking?" he challenged.

"You are thinking that you are the leader of this team and you aren't comfortable giving an outsider the permission to take control."

"Damn," Hannibal muttered.

"Thought so," Richter smiled smugly.

"Look, it's not that I don't trust you, doc. Lord knows you've done wonders with Murdock." Hannibal paused trying to think of the right words to express his concerns.

"But…," the doctor prodded.

Hannibal sighed wearily. "But, I'm scared…I'm terrified actually."

"Of what?"

Hannibal sat down on the couch and ran a hand through his silver hair. "Of finding out that I failed my boys."

"In what way?"

"In every way. I was the one they trusted in Nam…and where'd it got them."

"Out of the war alive," Richter answered.

"Alive…yes. Living? Not really."

"John, I think you're being a bit too hard on yourself."

Hannibal looked up and into the doctor's eyes. "Am I? Because lately I don't think I have been hard enough. They deserve better…deserve to live normal lives."

The doctor put a hand on Hannibal's shoulder. "Yes, I agree. But what about you? Don't you deserve that as well?"

Hannibal shrugged and hung his head not having an answer.

"Let me help you and your team…trust me?" Richter held out a hand to the colonel.

Hannibal slowly reached out his own hand still not sure if he was ready, but eventually gave in and shook it firmly.

An hour later they gathered in Face's room. He had woken up just some minutes ago and the pain in his head was bearable. Richter briefly thought about giving him time to clean up as good as it got lying down and have breakfast but felt his emotional problems were bigger than his physical ones at the moment and chances were that he wouldn't be awake for too long.

"I called this team meeting because I realized that we're all not ourselves right now. Since that includes me I asked Dr. Richter here to be the mediator on this meeting and I'm asking you to cooperate with him."

"Thanks colonel. I never met the whole team before now but I've been told stories about you for over a decade. Though I tend not to believe everything my patients tell me…"

"The man's wise."

"BA!"

"Quiet fool, we's supposed to listen."

"Ehm…as I said, I tend not to believe everything but there's always some truth in every story. Over the years I got a clear picture of this team. You're proud men, you care deeply for each other, you seem to know what the other is thinking without any words, the whole team is in sync with each other…"

"I've never been in anything with the fool."

"Sergeant."

"Sorry."

"Well, and there's always joking and banter going on between the team members. But what I see here in front of me is totally different. You barely speak to each other and if you do it more often than not ends up twisted. I can't see a general understanding or a team that's in sync, I rather see four individuals that are struggling to get along with each other. I want to use this meeting to find out how and what went wrong and possibly to get an idea on how to turn things the right way. Let's do this in stages, first I'll give out topics and address the one that's to answer. The rule is, nobody speaks up without being asked. After we're through with the topics we'll come to discussion. Since the lieutenant is sick this might require several sittings. Face, there's an exception of the rule for you. I want you to be able to follow the conversation. If you feel you're not able to follow anymore or you have any other medical problem please speak up immediately."

" 'kay."

It was spoken with hesitance and Hannibal knew that for Face to speak up if he felt a problem coming on was very unlikely, but the good doc would have to find out about that himself.

"First topic is guilt. Let's take the current situation. You've been on a mission and it didn't go as planned, as a result one of you is now injured. I can see guilt radiating from each of you and want you to tell me how you feel guilty in the current situation. Since Murdock has the most experience in this sessions I want him to go first, the others please remember to be quiet."

"I shoulda been faster, maybe if I had returned earlier Face wouldn't have needed to jump that guy. And I shoulda seen something's wrong with Face."

"Thank you Murdock, Face, you're next. Don't reply on what Murdock said, just speak about yourself. Do you have anything you feel guilty about in the current situation?"

Murdock, BA and Hannibal were sharing the same thought on this one. 'He's feeling guilty about everything that happens in the world, it's what he does best.'

"I…uhm…I should have been stronger, I need to train more. Shouldn't have let the guy get the better of me and hit me, twice even. I endangered Amy. And..well… I shoulda said something earlier on."

"Okay, BA?"

"Shoulda been faster and get to the guy before he hit the Faceman, and I shoulda seen he's hurtin'."

"Colonel?"

"Where do I start…I should have kept my mouth closed and waited for Murdock to return instead of taunting the guy into chasing us. All of this wouldn't have happened, and I should have noticed Face was concussed."

"Good, now I want each of you to give a short answer to one of the others. Murdock, please answer on BA's statement."

"I wasn't there big guy but I'm sure you did all you could to keep Face out of trouble, you always do. And as for noticing, that one all three of us are guilty."

"Thank you. Hannibal, please comment Murdock's statement."

"You did all you could Murdock, nobody's blaming you. And as for the noticing…you said it all."

"Good, now Face, answer on Hannibal's statement please."

"If Murdock had returned while we were still captured, how would that have made anything better? He wouldn't even have known which hut we were in. And I'm the one who should have talked."

"Thank you, BA, would you please comment on Face's statement?"

"Nothing to comment there, you a fool is all. You're the one injured, how can anything be your fault?"

"Thank you BA, now let's come to the next topic. Please describe your position on the team."


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Hannibal voluntarily went first. "I'm the leader of the team. I assign the tasks to each team member."

Dr. Richter nodded, scribbling down some notes. "Murdock?"

"I'm the pilot. If it has wings or a propeller I can fly it."

B.A. grumbled, "or crash it."

The doctor tried to hide a chuckle with a cough before saying, "okay, sergeant, you're up."

Rolling his eyes at what he considered an absurd exercise he answered, "I'm the mechanical engineer of the group…if it's broke I can fix it. Oh…and I drive the van."

Richter made a few more notes before looking back up at Face. "Face?"

Face cast his eyes downward, clearly uncomfortable. "I…um…acquire things we need for missions."

"Very interesting…very interesting indeed." All eyes looked upon the psychiatrist as he leaned back in his chair and contemplated his next words. "You all described your position in very…how should I put it…clinical terms. Now I want you to answer again, but this time, tell me what you _really_ do."

Going in the same order as before they each rattled off a new set of answers as Dr. Richter kept writing.

"I'm the man with the plans. They usually work…but sometimes it takes a while to get to that point. I smoke cigars, tend to get on the jazz, and love it when a plan comes together."

"I live in the V.A. and am clinically insane. I watch cartoons and play with my dog Billy. But when I'm not locked up in the funny farm, I fly things."

"I'm the muscle and attitude…nobody messes with B.A. Baracus."

When it was Face's turn again he could feel his stomach churning and his temples throbbing.

"Face? You okay?" Murdock asked.

"Hmm? Oh, yeah. Just…just thinking. I…um…well…I'm a con-man. I scam things by pretending to be something I'm not."

Hannibal looked as if he was about to contest Face's statement until the doctor shot him a look and shook his head slightly. He didn't know what the point was of making them say these things out loud, but he surely didn't like the effect it seemed to be having on Face.

"Alright, I think Face could use a break soon, but I want to cover one more thing first. When I asked you what your positions on the team are, I found it very interesting that your first instincts were to tell me what your jobs are. But there is more to this team than just the work you do…there is the relationships you have with each other. So, what is your relationship with your teammates?"

It seemed like a simple enough question when he asked it, but judging by the reaction of his audience, the doctor knew he had struck a nerve. These were military men; hardened somewhat by the atrocities of war and their fugitive status. They were men…they didn't discuss such things with each other. That was all about to change.

"Murdock, could you start please."

"Okay, uhmm…let's see, ahh I know. We're like a big family and I'm the little brother. My job is to drive my big brother BA up the tree and down again the other side." Murdock was looking straight at BA batting his lashes and receiving smiles from everyone but BA. Even Face managed a little smile at the banter but he was clearly exhausted and at the end of his rope.

"And I'm the big brother BA who will pound his little fool brother into the ground if he doesn't stop his crazy jibber –jabber." Murdock went to hide behind Hannibal and again the rest of the group sans BA was smiling.

"Now that that's settled, Colonel, what's your position on the team?"

"Well…if those two are brothers and since our little one here is hiding behind me right now…even if it does make me feel a little old I guess I have to look the truth in the eye…I seem to be the father of the group." This time even BA smiled.

"Grandpa, BA's mean to me."

"Murdock, you're seriously risking an obstacle course here."

While the mood was generally light Face shifted uneasily and his eyes were dropping.

"Face, you're last. Tell us about your position. Looks like the job of the father has just been vacated."

"I..uhm…I'm…I guess I'm …a visitor."

"Face! You can't mean it." Busted out BA before the doc had a chance to stop him.

"BA, please remember the rule, don't speak if not prompted."

"That rule ain't working if the Faceman wants to disintegrate himself from our family."

"Face, it seems BA sees you as a member of the family and not as a bystander. Do you want to reconsider?"

Face found it hard to think and BA's words didn't make any sense to him. He and Murdock were brothers and Hannibal the dad. Where did that leave him? Being the mother? Hardly so. Damn his head hurt and he was so tired.

"I'm…uhm…I don't know…I'm really tired."

"Let's just finish this and then you can sleep some."

"I'm…ahh…I don't know. Maybe a foster child?" Face's eyes were drifting shut as he uttered the last few words.

"Okay, thank you. Sleep tight and we'll continue when you wake up."

Face was deep asleep before the doc finished his sentence.

"No, we can't stop here, how can you let him sleep thinking he doesn't really belong to our bond?"

"I'm not the one who makes him think so colonel. I want you all to use the break and think about your words and actions that could have made him feel excluded." With that Richter rose and left the little family alone."

"I only mentioned BA as my brother but I sure meant Face too. I didn't mean to exclude him."

"Yeah, me too. I can see where he comes from though."

"BA's right, me too. I said 'the group'. That included him but he interpreted it differently."

"Let's just set it right when he wakes up." Murdock's idea was greeted by the others but Richter canceled it when he reentered the room.

"He's still hurting and not passed this concussion. When he wakes up I want you to not mention the previous topic until we're all settled in our round again and I lead the discussion. However, this will not happen before he had a chance to clean up some and got some food into his system."

Face opened his eyes and for the first time in days his head didn't feel like it was going to fall off of his neck. He shifted under the covers in an attempt to get more comfortable but was stopped short by a stabbing pain.

"Try not to move too much on your own, lieutenant," came a voice from the corner of the room.

"Oh…hi, doc," Face smiled weakly.

"How're you feeling?"

"Better…my head still hurts but not as badly."

"And your ribs?"

Face frowned. "They seem to hurt more."

"I think it may be because your head pain was so severe that you didn't notice. That and sometime as bones are mending the pain intensifies a bit."

Face winced as another twinge hit. "Yeah… it intensified alright."

"Do you want something for the pain?"

Face shook his head gingerly. "Nah…I can handle it…I've had much worse."

Dr. Richter hadn't expected to have an in depth conversation with his patient, but he didn't know when he would next have the chance to be alone with him, so he decided to play devil's advocate. "Yes, I'm sure you have."

The knowing tone of the doctor's voice hit a chord. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means that with your background it makes sense that you would be prone to illness and injury."

Face couldn't understand why, but he was becoming annoyed with Richter's statements. "What about my background in particular?"

"Well, you are a Vietnam veteran for one and now a fugitive…not exactly safe means of living. And then there was your childhood…"

Face's defenses were up; he could feel his pressure rising. "The orphanage…everybody always assumes it was awful."

The doctor's eyebrows rose. "Was it?"

"No," Face protested, almost too quickly. "I mean…not always…um…there were good times."

"And then there were bad ones as well."

"Sure…but every kid has rough times."

"Define rough?"

Face was becoming increasingly uncomfortable with the conversation. As a result he found himself breathing harder which only made his abdomen ache more. "Not…not having a family. Being in a crowded room…but still feeling alone." Face wondered where the team was and figured they had pawned him off on the doctor. "I'm always alone."

"What about now? Are you still alone?"

Face lightly wrapped his arms around his ribcage. "Look around, doc. What would you say?"

"I'm here."

"Yeah, you are. But it's not the same."

"Do your friends need to be in the same room to be there for you?"

"I ….well…uhm….they usually are….when I'm sick."

Richter could see Face growing increasingly uncomfortable and decided to let up on him. "You can blame that on me. I sent them off for a rest and promised to call them the minute you woke up. Let me go and call them now."

" 'kay." He didn't sound convinced and he wasn't. 'And they all just left me like that with an almost stranger, usually one would have stayed.'

Murdock came bouncing through the door first. "Face, you're up. How are you buddy."

The fake smile was back in place but mixed with pain. "I'm fine."

"Sure you are kid, you look the part. Truth?"

"Hurts but it's okay."

"Doc?"

"He's been better but considering his condition he's okay."

'I just told him that, can't he believe me?'

"BA's on the phone with mama, he'll be here any minute."

'Yeah sure, whenever he doesn't have anything better doing.'

"Let's get some food into you, I made you oats."

"I'm not hungry." Truth is he was but he doubted he could keep anything down.

"Hungry or not you have to eat."

"But I'm really not hungry."

"Face, you…."

"Let me try Colonel. Facey, open the hangar, here comes the plane."

"Murdock, I'm not a three year old. Leave me alone."

Dr. Richter had been tinkering with something in the corner of the room and now stepped over to the bed with a freshly assembled IV post. "You don't need to eat if you don't want to but your body needs food to heal. Give me your arm and I'll set up an IV line to get food into you."

Face wrapped his arms a bit tighter around himself. Never taking his eyes of the needle in the doctor's hand he spoke. "Murdock, I suddenly feel very hungry, can you give me that bowl?"

"Sure buddy, just open up."

"I can eat myself."

"But…"

"Murdock can it. Come on kid, let's raise you a little, is that okay doc?"

"Okay, but not too much."

They raised him some and put a towel around the upper part of the body. He still made some mess but it was minimal and far less embarrassing than to be fed. He actually had to admit that the warm food felt good. Hannibal followed up with warm tea and he soon felt a little better. BA had also arrived in between and since they were all together Richter decided to continue the earlier topic.

"Gentlemen, find yourself a seat, we have a discussion to continue. You all gave your opinion on your position in the team. Now I want you to give reasons and then we'll discuss. Murdock, why do you think you're the annoying little brother."

"I never said I was annoying, only that I love to annoy BA, that's a difference."

"Okay, what about the others?"

"Oh, I don't annoy the colonel, he's my colonel after all, right dad?" Murdock winked at Hannibal. "And Facey here is my best friend, I can't annoy my best friend, not as much as BA that is."

'Yeah, because BA is your brother and I'm just a friend.'

"Okay, BA, you're next."

B.A. rolled his eyes. "C'mon, man…what's the point of all this jibber-jabber?"

"B.A…." Hannibal threatened with just a look.

"Fine," B.A. huffed. "I told ya that I was the muscle. It's 'cause I'm strong and I ain't afraid of nothin'."

"Huh!" Murdock scoffed.

"Okay…maybe flyin'…but that don't count."

Dr. Richter decided to take a gamble and put something on the table. "I think you're holding back."

B.A. scowled furiously. "You callin' me a liar?"

"No," the doctor wisely answered. "I just think that maybe you aren't telling the whole truth."

"That the same thing."

"Yes…and no. I think that lying is done on purpose. Leaving something out is done with the intent of protecting someone."

"Who?"

"You tell me."

B.A. stood up and loomed over Richter. "Stop playin' these games, man. You got somethin' to say, just come out and say it."

The doctor rose and went nose to nose with the sergeant as the others looked on in shock and admiration.

"I think you're scared and that you hide behind that muscle."

Hannibal could see B.A. clenching his fists. "Um, doc…maybe we better move on."

"Nah…he right," B.A. admitted, sitting back down hard on his chair.

"He is?" Hannibal, Murdock and Face asked in unison.

"Yeah, man. Sometimes I do get scared." He looked at Face. "Especially when one of my friends are hurtin'."

Face looked down. "I'm sorry."

"I wasn't blamin' you, man."

But they all knew that Face tended to blame himself for everything, especially when he was hurt and not thinking completely right.

Richter intervened and turned to Hannibal. "You said you're the planer and the father of the group. Why do you say so?"

"Part one is easy, I make the planes, granted Face usually finds the holes in them and makes them safer by taking out some of the Jazz but they're still my plans. And as for being the father, it wasn't my bright idea to compare us with a family since it makes me sound so old but it does fit. After all I'm the one looking after these three boys here. Those two," he said pointing at Murdock and BA, "are constantly getting in trouble between the two of them and I have to make sure nobody overdoes things and this one here," now he pointed at Face," is constantly getting into trouble when a scam goes south and we need to bail him out. In addition he's the one that usually gets injured and needs our help here too. Sometimes though, I feel more like a mother hen than a father." Hannibal had tried to keep his tone light and joke a bit but to Face it sounded different. Again he was the one causing most trouble.

"Does anyone have a comment to that?"

Face mumbled an almost inaudible 'sorry' and looked away but it wasn't heard by anyone since BA's loud voice sounded at the same time. "You old man, whether you call yourself father or not. The giggle that followed sounded so strange coming from BA that everybody, sans Face, smiled.

"What is it lieutenant, don't you feel like joining in on the fun or is something wrong?"

"I'm alright." The smile was clearly forced.

"Okay, what about your reasons. You said you're the conman and you're not really part of the family, is that correct?"

"Yes."

"And why is that so?"

"Well….I'm a conman, it's my job. It's what I'm good at…I lie for a living." Face said in a small and sad voice. "It's my value to the team, as long as I'm not injured and my face is not messed up that is."

Hannibal found it increasingly difficult to keep to the rules of the game and not start commenting here and now. From the way BA was balling his fists he seemed to have similar problems. Only Murdock was used to those rules from other group discussions and seemed content with the situation, trusting his therapist to do the right thing.

"And why do you feel you aren't part of the family?"

"I…I'm part…just…well…just not important, like a visitor. If I'm gone nothing's missing, the team can still function." Face still wasn't looking at anybody but his color had changed to a slight green.

"Are you feeling alright lieutenant?"

"I….I think…I need…I'm…"

Hannibal knew the signs and reached for the bucket before Face could voice his need, and just in time as it turned out. Together they held Face as he retched up the food he had taken in. His broken rib made the whole procedure extremely painful and he was sweaty and panting by the time it was over. His eyes didn't open again before exhaustion claimed him.

"I don't like your rules doc, it might be okay with others but not Face. Now he fell asleep thinking that he's not needed and that he's causing trouble for everybody."

"It is important for him to voice all his thoughts before healing can begin colonel."

"This is Face we're talking about. Once he makes his mind that he's the cause of all troubles he'll only try to hide his sicknesses or injuries even more in the future. No matter what we tell him later on we'll not be able to right that again."

"I understand you colonel but as I told you before he has a lot of issues. I can't work on all at the same time but I feel that the biggest issue that needs to be worked on is his belonging to the team, for him to understand that he's a valuable part of the team that can't be replaced. If we can achieve that I believe that he'll open up a little more with time and not feel the need to hide his injuries anymore."

"Doc, you might be good in your subject, one of the best as Murdock tells me, but believe me on this one if I say you have no idea what you're talking about. We've been trying to reassure this kid for ages and I thought we had finally made him understand that he's valued and needed but as this has revealed so far he still thinks otherwise. His past has it burned into his brain that he's only a temporary member of any family he's living with and that the more trouble he causes the faster he'll be thrown out. With all due respect I doubt you can change that in a matter of days."

It came as a shock to them all the next day when the phone rang and moments later Dr. Richter announced that he had to return to the hospital right away.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

"I'm sorry, but it can't be helped. One of my patients had a bad reaction to his medication and I have to go back and evaluate the situation."

On one hand Hannibal was sad to see the doctor go. He was a medical professional with years of experience on his side. One the other hand, however, the colonel was relieved; it was time to deal with the team's issues amongst themselves. Nobody could truly understand what they had been through together and how deep their bonds went. If they were ever going to get down to the root of the problem, they had to go it alone.

By the time Face began to stir the doctor had already departed and the team was on their own. They remained in the same room; each lost in his own thoughts and trying to figure out what to do or say to make things better.

The last thing Face remembered was trying to explain why he wasn't a true part of the family and then feeling extremely sick. He expected to wake up alone, or with Richter by his bedside as an appointed babysitter. As his eyes fluttered open and slowly focused, he was surprised to see the opposite of what he expected.

The tension in the room was so thick that even B.A. wouldn't be able to slice through it if he were armed with a machete. Dr. Richter had opened the floodgates for them, and now they were left to manage the deluge.

They began with small talk:

"It's going to be a rainy day."

"Tomorrow it's supposed to warm up."

"I think I'll rotate the van's tires."

But then Face said something out of left field which seemed to bring the world to a sudden standstill.

"It's okay guys, it's not like I hadn't know, knew it for a long time. I mean it's nice of you not to just leave it to Richter but really, it's okay, I understand."

"Understand what?" Murdock was as puzzled as the rest but found his voice first.

"You know, I probably have to thank the army for blaming the Hanoi job on us or it would have ended so much sooner. It was a long time, the longest I ever had and it was a good time but I knew it would come to an end, it always does. I mean, you didn't just leave it to Richter to give me the news but decided to stick around to do it yourself and all, that's really nice of you. You wouldn't have needed him and all this talking about bonds and families. It's okay, really, you can just go whenever you're ready, maybe, I mean, if you would allow me, I could keep in touch for a while, see how you guys are doing, maybe you need something…"

"Can it fool, we ain't going nowhere."

"Oh….uhm….well…would you allow me to stay for a while then, I'm really not up to moving around on my own right now, just a few days…"

"Lieutenant, I don't want to hear another word out of your mouth. Time and time again we told you we'll stick together and tried to reassure you that we won't leave you behind but you just don't get it, do you? Well, here's news for you: You are not going anywhere, we won't go anywhere either. We either all stay or we all go and that is the last word I want to hear about this topic." Hannibal was surprised about his own voice, he hadn't meant it to come out that harsh but maybe that was what the kid needed to get his head back on his shoulders. At least that was how he interpreted the shocked look on Face's features. He turned and left the room to get some air.

Murdock followed him. "Colonel, I don't think Dr. Richter would approve of your approach."

"I don't care Murdock. He opened this can of worms and I won't stand around and let it eat at the kid any longer. This has to be settled once and forever."

"But it isn't."

"It is, I just told him so."

"No, you told him to not talk about it again, that's just going to make it harder on him now that the can has been opened as you put it."

"Well, he'll just have to learn that we are a family and he's part."

"Is he?"

"Oh don't you start too."

"You just excluded him by talking of him and us, not all of us."

"He separated himself from us and I told him he's not going anywhere, meaning he's part of us."

"He won't see it that way."

"You spend too much time with the shrink."

"Just look at it from his point of view."

"I doubt my mind is twisted enough to do that, maybe yours will do but even there I have my doubts."

Murdock just rolled his eyes. "He was the last one to join the team and as we just learned he never felt fully accepted, he sees himself as an outsider, not really a part. With his background he has experience with being a part timer in a family. How many foster families has he lived with for some time?"

"And what do you want me to do again? I told him time and time again. Do you want me to perform official adoption rites?"

Murdock's face lit up. "Colonel, you've had worse plans over the years."

"What? Oh, c'mon Murdock, we may feel like a family but I don't think we fit in the rules for adoption."

Murdock patted Hannibal on the shoulder. "As you said you're the planer, I'm just the crazy pilot. You'll think of something."

Inside the room Face was still in some kind of shock, he was so sure that all this talk about family and him not being part was meant to prepare him for the kick-out that would follow but now he was just confused. Was it all just to show him his position and to tell him he should keep quiet and not use up the others time and money on his injuries? That must be it, they wanted to make sure he knows his rank within the team, as if he ever had a doubt about that. Maybe they expect him to be tougher, tough like BA who wouldn't have behaved like a baby back in the van. But boy was that going to be hard, but he had to try if it meant staying on the team.

BA was watching Face's features and the changes that took place. It was just like watching theater. Face was still not in his right mind or he would mask his thoughts and not let them show. It was as if he had forgotten that BA was even in the same room. Although, upon all the moves, BA wasn't able to read what Face was thinking.

"Man, you're one of a kind, sometimes I wonder who's worse, you or the fool."

Face looked up at B.A. and said softly, "sometimes it's so hard to be inside my own head…it's exhausting."

B.A. realized that he was finally talking to the real Templeton Peck. Stripped of all pretenses, Face's voice was raw with emotion and his eyes filled with pain. 'Oh man…what do I do now?' he thought. He didn't want to say the wrong thing to shut Face down, so he just put a hand on his shoulder and gave a small reassuring squeeze.

Face felt B.A.'s touch and it was all over. It was as if he could feel the tiny bit of control he had left melt away. "I try to keep it all together. But it's like there's a constant war raging in my mind. One side is telling me that I belong and that I fit in…and the other says that one day you guys will leave me. Just like everybody else has…they always leave me."

B.A. wanted to shake Face and tell him that it wasn't fair for him to compare the team to anybody else; they hadn't left him and never would. But he forced himself to just let Face vent and settled for gently rubbing Face's arm in encouragement until he continued.

"Most of the time I can control it; I can fight back the negative voices. I can convince myself that I'm needed…and even wanted. But then it's like I go back to being the little kid in the orphanage that was passed up time and time again…or discarded like yesterday's garbage." Face's eyes began to well up, but he was too far gone to even notice. "The crazy thing is that I was feeling pretty good…you know in my head…until the whole Jamestown fiasco. And now it's like I'm a basket case. I'm blubbering like a baby… you must think I'm such a wimp."

"Nah, man. I think that you are one of the toughest dudes I know."

"Yeah...sure," Face mumbled lowering his gaze.

"I mean it, Faceman. You ain't gotta prove yourself to us…you done that a long time ago in Nam and ever since. You wanna know what I really think about what's been goin' on with us…and I mean all of us…our family."

"Um…sure." The word family made him feel uneasy; it had a bad connotation for him since childhood and old habits die hard.

"I think that there ain't nothin' really wrong with any of us…except maybe for that crazy man, Murdock."

"But…but how can you say that? We're fighting…Dr. Richter had to mediate for us for heaven's sake."

"Listen, man," B.A. said grabbing a chair and sitting down next to Face's bed, "we human. Even B.A. Baracus is human…much as I hate to admit it." B.A. was relieved when Face rewarded him with a small smile. "We a family…and all family's have their hard times. Add to it that we a family of fugitives and that's just makin' things worse."

Face could feel himself starting to relax as he listened to the sergeant's words. But still he wasn't convinced. "But…but what about me?"

"What about you, man?"

"Why…why am I so messed up?"

"You are as bad as the fool, ain't ya?" B.A. joked with a smile so that Face wouldn't take it seriously. "You was hit in the gut so bad that you were bleedin' inside and needed surgery. Not to mention that nasty blow to your head. You entitled to feel scattered man…like I said…you human. I gotta question for ya, Face."

"Go ahead…I'm an open book these days if you haven't noticed."

"I have noticed…and it ain't all bad, man. But, those times when you feelin' really down and like we don't want ya…is it mostly when you hurt or sick?"

It was like a lightbulb went off in Face's head. "Um…yeah…you know, I think it is."

"So see man…that helps explain it. Stop bein' so hard on yourself. I think we all have read too much into this entire thing. Seein' you hurt just made us worry too much is all." B.A. saw Face grimace in pain. "You okay?"

"Yeah…just hurts a little bit."

"A little or a lot?"

"A lot…but I'll be okay. I feel better than I have in days."

Murdock and Hannibal stood outside the door after having witnessed almost the entire conversation.

"Thanks BA, now I know what to do. Just concentrate on getting better and when I'm not a liability again things will come back to normal."

Hannibal sighed and rubbed his hands over his eyes. "Whatever normal means; and here I thought BA had gotten through to him. C'mon Murdock, let's get to our Sergeant's aid." With that he opened the door and stepped inside the room.

Face obviously tried to hide his pain but wasn't quite successful.

"Hi kid, how bad is it?"

Face was getting upset about not being able to hide his pain from Hannibal but tried to appear cool to the outside. "it's not that bad, I'll be alright and able to do my job in no time."

Hannibal raised his eyebrow and Face felt the need to reassure him. "Really, I'll be up and about in no time. Feel much better already."

"Sure kid, if you say so. You sure look like crap but you probably know better." The sarcasm was evident in Hannibal's voice. "Don't even think of getting up without permission."

"Hannibal look, I know what this is all about and it wasn't really necessary to bring in Dr. Richter. I know where my place is on this team, I always knew. I also know that you're not like all the others and won't sent me away over nothing. I…I wish I was tougher and not going down from a few blows but I'll be fine soon and things will be normal again."

"Good to hear that you know your position on this team, let's hear it."

"But…why?"

"Oh I just want to make sure we're talking about the same things here. C'mon, out with it, elaborate on the topic a little."

"But…please…do I really have to?"

"Saying it out loud won't change anything on the facts, oh man I'm beginning to sound like the shrink. We're listening Face." Face was clearly exhausted but he couldn't just let him off the hook, not at this point. The chance to get him that raw and open again was just too slim.

Face really didn't want to. Sure it didn't change the facts to say them out loud but he had always dreamed that maybe, just maybe, he was wrong and they really wanted him to be part of the bond for the person he was and not for his conman skills. Saying it out loud would destroy that dream forever. Anyway, with all the talk about him being their meal ticket it was a silly dream anyway. He took in a couple of breaths and then started talking like on auto pilot without looking at anybody.

"I know that you three share a special bond and I'm thankful that you let me live with you even though I'm not part of this bond. I know that I'm needed and to some extent even wanted and I know it's my duty to not be sick for too long and to not mess up my face since it's my job to provide for the team. I also understand that you're not like all the others and won't send me away even though I tend to be injured and sick more often and for longer periods than the rest of you. All I need to do is to get back on my feet fast and pull my own weight."

BA snorted Murdock shock his head and Hannibal sighed loudly. "I thought as much. You're wrong kid, so totally wrong. Much as I hate to not correct you here and now it will have to wait, you're barely able to keep your eyes open as it is. For now just keep in mind that your assumption is so totally wrong and now get some rest, we'll be here for you when you wake up."

Face was asleep before Hannibal had finished talking. He fell in an uneasy sleep. At first he was hearing his own voice saying 'you won't send me away' followed immediately by Hannibal saying 'You're so totally wrong.' Over and over before memories of his past and pictures of cars driving away from the orphanage mixed into his dreams.

Face woke with a start and sat up straight in bed. "No…don't leave me…please come back!" he screamed.

Hannibal was at Face's side in seconds but he was unprepared for what happened next. Face sprung out of the bed and ran out the door.

"Damn!" Hannibal cursed as he took chase after his fleeing lieutenant. "B.A.! Murdock! I need some help here!"

B.A. came out from the kitchen to see Face heading in his direction. He jumped in front of his friend and basically pulled him into a bear hug.

"No…let me go…please let me go!"

"Hey, man…hey…it's okay." B.A. could feel Face trembling in his arms. His eyes were open, but they were blank and unseeing.

Murdock and Hannibal stopped in their tracks as B.A. shook his head in their direction and mouthed, "not yet".

"Let me go," Face cried, but his battered body wouldn't allow him to put up much of a struggle. His limbs went limp and B.A. slowly lowered him down to the floor. "Please…please…please," he repeated.

"Faceman…you safe, man…it's B.A."

Face blinked his eyes a few times before looking up at the man whose lap he was in. "B.A.? What happened?"

The rest of the team sighed in relief as recognition filled both Face's eyes and voice.

"You woke up screaming and just took off," Hannibal explained, walking over and kneeling down. "I don't know how you moved so fast."

"Me either." Face grimaced as he began to feel the aftermath of his sleepwalk…or is this case run. Face moved as if to sit up, but bit back a cry as his gut protested.

"Just lay there for a while, muchacho, and use B.A. for a pillow a little longer."

Face didn't think he had any choice in the matter; he felt weak and he ached all over. But then he looked around and what he saw made him dizzy from the overwhelming emotion. The complete look of concern and understanding in his friend's faces drove home what they had been trying to tell him over and over again. They weren't going to leave him, and they weren't going to send him away.

The moment didn't last for long however as a nasty spasm of pain hit and Face instinctively pressed his hands to his abdomen. He felt something sticky there and took a look at his hands, they were red with blood.

"Damnit, let me see kid." Hannibal pulled the pajama top away and revealed the freshly bleeding wound. Face had ripped quite some stitches in his struggle and was bleeding slowly but steadily. His complexion was growing paler by the minute, not as much from the loss of blood but from the pain he felt and also from the cold floor he was lying on.

"This needs stitching up. Let's get you back to the bed, you're getting cold here. Murdock, get the med kit."

Hannibal moved to help Face up but BA stopped him. "Just let me shift out from under him and I'll take him."

As BA started to maneuver out Face let out a scream of pain. "Stop, please stop, oh god, stop."

"What is it kid? Your belly?"

"Hurts, so bad."


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

"Show me where it hurts most." Hannibal feared Face could have ripped something on the inside too. He didn't know whether to be relieved or not when Face's hand went to approximately the area of the broken rib. A closer look revealed that the fraction of the bone was no more in place, it could be seen with the naked eye.

"Try not to move, BA, go call Keith."

Face was still trembling from the earlier pain and the last thing on his mind was to move.

"Colonel, he moved out to the van before and nothing happened, all this talking upset him…"

"Murdock, stop. Those things happen, nobody can prevent them. This time he ran and struggled in his sleep, it's not the same as slowly inching his way forward."

A long hour later Keith was with them and checking Face over. "The stitches need to be replaced but what has me more concerned is the way the bone fragment is standing in the wrong direction. I can set it without going in but then I have to be sure it didn't cause any internal injury. I need a good x-ray and ultrasound to do it, the portable ones are not bad but for this I need to take him to my clinic."

"An hour in the car? That will be hell on him."

"Sorry Hannibal, maybe he'll pass out. One more thing, the military has been snooping around the first year after your run and I can't have that again…it almost broke my marriage then. I'll take him to my clinic but only him, you guys have to wait close by."

"No way."

"Han'bal…it's 'kay."

"No kid, it's not. I promised to never leave you alone and…"

"It's 'kay….I know….won't leave me. Wait…for me."

It wasn't as if they had much choice anyway. They picked up their belongings and moved Face into the van. Keith had been right, Face was out before he was settled. They drove to a motel not far from the clinic and Keith brought an ambulance from his clinic. The team handed over Face with mixed feelings and settled in for a long wait. When Keith returned about two hours later the relief was evident on everybody.

"He still out?"

"No BA, he's out again. He came around when I started setting the bone but not for long. It turned out the bone didn't cause any more damage. All he has to do now is lay very still for the next days." He left them with some meds and was on his way again.

Face woke up a little while later. While he was still half out of his mind, the pain was more bearable now. After about an hour of sitting around in the crowded room Murdock felt they needed something to talk about.

"This dream you had when you ran, what was it?"

"Um, Murdock…maybe now's not the time," Hannibal suggested.

Face held up a hand weakly and waved Hannibal off. "No…it's okay." Maybe it was the sedative still lingering in his system, but he actually wanted to talk to them…to let them in. "It…it wasn't one flashback. It was as if I was travelling through time or something. At first I was a little kid…probably about six…and I was looking out the window watching a couple walk away…again."

"Again?" B.A. asked.

"Yeah…every time prospective parents came they would be real nice to me," Face paused to catch his breath, "and then they would take a look at my file and…" Face's voice trailed off as he got caught up in a combination of the memory and a spasm of pain.

"And what was wrong with your file?"

"Well, colonel, remember my file in the Army?" Hannibal nodded. "It wasn't much better."

"What trouble could you have gotten into by the age of 6, man?" B.A. asked.

"It wasn't that I was a bad kid, but I had these awful nightmares that would keep me up at night. I'd wake up screaming and by morning I was so tired and everybody was mad at me for waking them up. Let's just say I acted out for a while."

"Sound more like you were crying out for attention."

"Dr. Murdock…there you go again," Face tried to joke.

"You were saying 'let me go'?" Hannibal probed.

A shadow passed over the injured man's face. "Oh that. That happened a few years later. I was small for my age and some of the older boys…well…they would hold me down…and mess with me."

"Mess with you how, Faceman?" B.A.'s tone was angry; nothing angered that large man more than a kid being hurt.

"Not…not _that_ way." They all knew what Face meant. "They would just hit me…or spit on me…or burn me."

"Oh, kid."

Once more Face waved Hannibal off. "Hey…it's okay. It was a long time ago. All kids go through rough times."

Nobody said it, but the others were all thinking, 'maybe, but not as bad as that.'

"Before I woke up, I was back in Nam…that time when Walker and his men got their revenge." The pain meds were starting to wear off and as a result so was his desire to talk. "I'm…I'm tired…think I'll…try to sleep."

"Go ahead, son…I think we all could use some rest."

But Face couldn't sleep from the physical pain anymore than the others could from the memories. Their minds travelled back to that day more than a decade prior when Face paid the price for their actions. No wonder his mind transitioned to that during his nightmare; it was similar to what he had experienced in the orphanage.

It was about three months after the camps and they were relatively fit again. They were back on duty but only light recon missions and they missed the action. However, the nightmares were there almost constantly and they were by far not as sharp and fast as before. They were stationed in Nah Trang and therefore on relatively safe territory and had a lot of down time. The whole team was bored and Hannibal had a hard time trying to keep them busy and out of trouble. Next to their quarters was a team of ten muscle-packed soldiers, Walkers team. They were constantly out for trouble and complained about the screams coming from the A-Teams tent when one had a nightmare to the higher ups. Three times Hannibal had been called to the office to answer questions if his team was really fit for duty and he was bored with it. In addition they liked to push Face and Murdock around or trip them whenever they could.

Face and Murdock of course did their share of the bickering and took on to the shenanigans too, for example by exchanging their liquid soap with motor oil and mixing pepper into their toothpaste. Hannibal constantly scolded them for the tricks they played but also had a good laugh with them on the reactions coming from Walker's men.

One day he decided that they needed some real action to prove that they could still handle a big and strong team. He invited Walkers team for a challenge, the A-Team would put up an obstacle course and they would run it one by one. The A-Team members first, the members of Walkers team next. The team that had the fastest man would win. Walker was fast to agree, after all those walking cripples could never be faster than any of his men.

The course had a lot of wooden obstacles to balance on and ropes to swing over mud puddles. What Walkers men didn't know, and since they weren't too heavy on the brain side didn't find out before it was too late, was that the A-Team had used soap to make parts of the wood and the lower end of the ropes slippery. Since they knew where to step and which part of the rope to hold they all went through the short course in under ten minutes while Walkers men ended up mud covered and bruised. All the base shared a good laugh about how stupid they were and Walker swore revenge.

Nobody took him serious and at first it seemed it has worked. The constant complaints and the bullying around stopped completely. But then came the day that threw them far back in their healing.

One evening Face had felt bored and said he would go for a little walk around base. When he didn't return after 30 minutes Hannibal felt uneasy but decided to stay put. Face was grown and probably chatting up a girl. He would look stupid if he showed up like his nanny. After an hour the unease had grown to worry and Hannibal began to pace. Murdock and BA told him to calm down but Hannibal still decided to go for a walk, as he put it.

He walked without aim when he heard a low moan from behind some sheds. He ran towards the sound and found Face curled up with his clothes torn and sporting various injuries. Hannibal couldn't help the flashback to the camps, when Face was brought back from interrogation.

The kid spent three days in the infirmary and at least one, most of the time all, member of the team were with him at all time. Face had the physical injuries but the most damage was done to everybody's mental state. The nightmares were back full force and Hannibal feared for Murdock's sanity. Face was relatively fast in recovering, as they learned later he had enough experience with bullies to know how to push the fear down and move on. But Murdock had a tough time.

It was then that Murdock first really started to hear the voices…or at least it was the first time he started answering back. One minute he could be fine and the next he would be staring off into space or seeing things that weren't there. Face spent every waking hour with his best friend afraid that if he let him out of his sight the pilot would hurt himself or somebody else. Ironically that somebody else was Face himself, but the only ones that knew the details were the two of them.

The sound of heavy breathing pulled Hannibal, Murdock and B.A. from their thoughts.

"Thank God," Hannibal exhaled. "He's finally out again."

"Was you two thinkin' about what I was thinkin' about?"

"Walker's gang and the obstacle course?"

"Bingo!"

"No thanks…not my favorite game," Murdock quipped.

B.A. rolled his eyes. "Shut up, fool." But there was no anger behind the statement. He couldn't be angry after just thinking about how badly Murdock reacted to Face's beating. It was one thing to be tortured by the enemy…but another when it came from people on your own side. It was the straw that nearly broke Murdock's back for good.

"I wish I had shut up back then," Murdock whispered. "Then Face wouldn't have gotten hurt."

Hannibal placed a hand on Murdock's back and said, "you know none of that was your fault. Walker's team had the course coming to them…I would have never predicted they would hurt Face like they did afterwards."

Murdock drooped his head and shook it sadly. "That's not what I'm talking about. There's something…something Face and I never told you about."

B.A. furrowed his brow in confusion. "Are you sayin' that you hurt the Faceman?"

Murdock nodded miserably and began to explain. "When I saw Face battered like that, I mean after Walkers men had beaten him to pulp, you know my dreams got worse. It was like my mind couldn't grasp why this should be happening again now that we were no more at the mercy of the Viet Cong…."

"Not just your mind." BA's voice was unnaturally quiet.

"Well, Face always tried to comfort me after a bad dream but do you remember the time I rather got more agitated than to calm down? It went on for a while and Face came to question me about what was going on. I…I couldn't tell him what my dream was about but he wouldn't let up. I lied to him, to my best friend. I told him in my dreams I saw him all battered and bloody sitting in a tree and then he fell out of the tree and when I woke up like that and he was there I couldn't shake the dream and saw him all battered and bloody again, just like after we had found him or in the camps."

Murdock stopped and when Hannibal thought he wouldn't go on he questioned Murdock. "What was your dream really about?"

"Uhmm…really silly. I did see Face on a tree and he was all bloody and bruised….but in addition he had turned into a monster and jumped down from the tree to attack me. That's why I got so agitated when I woke up and saw him."

"And that lie hurt him? How did he find out?"

"Not the lie big guy, I hurt him. He wanted to prove to me that he could sit in a tree and come down alright and that there was nothing scary about that. We sneaked off base and into the jungle, just to where the first tall trees were. I didn't want to let him but he insisted to climb up and down to prove to me that there's nothing scary about that. Maybe that was how he dealt with his dreams, I don't know. He climbed up and my fears started to build but when he climbed back down I snapped, I saw the monster coming at me and blindly lashed out. Only when I did hear my name and noticed that the monster didn't fight back, my mind jumped back into place and I saw what I had done. I broke down completely as realization hit and instead of staying a safe distance away Face was there to comfort me, again. He was a mess but he comforted me, his attacker. I begged him not to tell you since I feared I would get sent home. Face assured me that nobody would find out and told me to go back to our quarters and get some rest. We walked back to base and he hid in some bushes while he told me to go ahead. The next thing I heard was that Face was in the stockade for being involved in a bar room brawl."

"Damn, I remember that time only too well, I was so pissed at him and let him feel it…"

"Turned out he had waited close by and watched the mess. At the first sign of trouble he went over and made sure it escalated. He used the brawl to explain away his injuries even if it meant some days in the stockade."

"Was…was worth it," came the weak voice from the bed.

"Sorry, kid...we should have been quieter."

"S'okay, Hannibal."

"Face, I never apologized to you," Murdock said having a hard time meeting his friend's eyes.

"For what?"

"For what we were just talking about…for attacking you and then letting you go to the stockade to cover it up."

"I just told you it was worth it.

Murdock shook his head which was still turned away. "No…it wasn't."

"Murdock, look at me," Face demanded. "Yes, it was worth it…you were worth it. I couldn't lose you. I was barely holding onto my sanity…I wasn't much better off than you. I was just a con-man and better at hiding things…I'd had a lot of practice at faking things."

"You coulda told us, man," B.A. said softly in order to ensure that Face knew he wasn't judging him.

"I know that now…I probably even knew that then. But I couldn't risk somebody else finding out and taking it out of your hands."

"I'm real proud of you, kid," Hannibal smiled placing a hand on top of Face's thigh. He looked at Murdock. "And nobody blames you, captain."

"Yeah, fool, so stop blamin' yourself."

Murdock finally smiled again. "I think Dr. Richter would be really impressed with us."

"I told you we'd be okay. We just had to stop over thinkin' things and start listenin' to each other again."

"You were right, big guy."

B.A. put a hand to his ear and pretended he hadn't heard. "What's that, crazy man?"

"I said you were right."

"Huh? Say it louder." B.A. leaned his body closer to the pilot.

Murdock rolled his eyes. "I said you were right."

"B.A. Baracus always right…and don't none of you forget it."

The quartet erupted into giggles; it felt so good to be silly and joking again.

The team was on the road to recovery, but it was sure to have some roadblocks along the way. The first one hit as Face tried to shift in his bed and immediately gritted his teeth and grimaced in pain. The joking atmosphere was gone from one second to the next.

"What is it kid? Talk to us."

"Umghhh." Talking wasn't a possibility right then, he first had to get his breathing back under control. His eyes were still closed but he felt hands on him, giving comfort through contact. As soon as the searing pain ebbed away enough to allow him some vision other than white with stars he opened his eyes and looked around. The concern he saw in three sets of eyes was so overwhelming that he felt he owed them an explanation, even though he was still panting and didn't trust his voice.

"Sore…from laying…down…moving…hurts so."

Hannibal was a bit relieved; he had feared something more might have happened. "Just lay still and don't try to move on your own. If you feel sore tell us and we'll shift you and push some pillows in place to hold you in position. Moving that way will still hurt but not as much as using your own muscles, give yourself some time to heal, your little jogging exercise has cost you a lot."

" M'kay." Face was exhausted and tired.

"Don't close your eyes yet, you need to eat something."

"M'not hungry."

"Just some oatmeal, you have to get stronger."

"Mmm…tired."

"I know, just a little bit. You need energy to recover. I promise you a surprise when you're strong enough to sit on your own."

Face ate a few spoonfuls and fell asleep.

"Colonel, I'm curious, what kind of surprise do you have in mind?"

"That's a surprise for you too, until then go and find out how an official adoption ceremony is done."

Murdock rubbed his hands together with excitement. "Hot diggity Billy!"

"You mean hot diggity dog, fool!"

"Isn't that what I just said?"

"Oh brother," B.A. groused. "But if the surprise is what it sounds like, than I'm cool with it. C'mon crazy man, we got work to do."


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Hannibal pulled the couch next to Face's bed and laid down trying to get a little rest while he had the chance. He didn't realize how exhausted he was until he closed his eyes. As he drifted off his last thoughts were of a conversation he had with Face on what he assumed had been his lieutenant's birthday.

_ "Happy Birthday, kid."_

_ "Huh? Oh yeah…um…well…thanks…I…um…think."_

_"You think?" _

_ "It's just another day."_

_ "For some, yes, but for you it's the day you entered this world."_

_ "And look where it got me…to this paradise."_

_ "You are way too young to be so cynical."_

_ "Not cynical…just telling it like it is."_

_ "And how is it?"_

_"How is it? How it is' is that I don't know what my real birth date is so I made this one up. I suppose there is a 1 in 365 chance that I was right."_

_"Damn…I'm sorry, kid. I forgot…um…that…_

_"That I'm an orphan. Don't be sorry. "_

_"I'm sorry you didn't have a family that you could share birthdays with."_

_"Yeah, well, you can't miss something you never had."_

"I'm sorry, kid…sorry you didn't have a family…you can miss…sorry…sorry…" Hannibal was moaning in his sleep.

Face woke to Hannibal's voice and froze at the words coming from his colonel. As he opened his eyes he saw Hannibal tossing and turning.

"Hannibal…you okay?"

"Sorry…orphan…sorry."

"Hannibal…please…wake up." Face couldn't stand to hear it anymore; he didn't need the reminders. He reached over to gently shake him.

Face never saw Hannibal's fist coming in his direction, but he felt it and heard the sound as it made contact with his side. Hannibal's couch was about the same height as Face's bed and whiles Hannibal had turned to his side in his sleep, Face was laying on his back. Since moving was too painful he had just reached out for Hannibal instead of turning to him. That now turned out to have been a clever thing since otherwise Hannibal's fist would have connected with his ribs or abdomen. The way it was, there wasn't too much damage but that was a difference Face wasn't feeling at the moment. The blow had jostled him and he hurt all over, gritting his teeth against the white hot agony.

"Face…what…oh, no." Hannibal was up in a flash as he realized that the attacker he had been fighting off had only existed in his dreams.

"Kid, talk to me. Face, where did I hit you?"

"Umgh…"

"Face, c'mon kid, say something. I'm so sorry."

"My…fault…."

"No...how can you say that. Where did I hit you?"

"Side."

"Let me see."

"No…hurts."

"C'mon, I just want to lift your t-shirt, I'm not going to hurt you."

As it turned out the blow was painful and may leave a bruise but other than that didn't leave any damage. After a while the pain died down and Face was able to breathe normal again.

"Sorry kid."

"My fault, I should know better than to touch you in your sleep without being able to jump out of reach."

"Why did you try to wake me, do you need anything?"

"No, you were dreaming."

"Oh, I don't even remember. Thanks kid."

The two lapsed into silence; Hannibal feeling guilty as hell and Face being stuck in his own head. 'So much for being a member of the family. In his dreams he thinks of me as the orphan that doesn't have any family. Aren't dreams supposed to be connected to ones thoughts? He doesn't see me as a member of the A-Team family, he just said so out of pity for the orphan.'

"Kid, you alright?"

"Hmm…my head still hurts, it's annoying." While the concussion was gone the headache was still present and the constant pain was irritating. Face tried to remember what B.A. said; he most likely wasn't thinking clearly due to the fact that he was injured. But still, he hadn't imagined the words that came out of Hannibal's mouth and they still hurt. And then, to make matters worse, Hannibal got up and left the room leaving Face utterly confused.

Hannibal scurried from the room to get a basin of cold water and some towels. When he returned a few minutes later, Face's eyes were closed but his brow furrowed in pain. Hannibal submerged a cloth into the water and wrung it out.

Face felt something cold and wet being placed on his forehead. He opened his eyes to see Hannibal sitting next to him holding the compress. "I…um…I thought…you…" Face started, and then stopped as he was too embarrassed to say it.

"Thought I left you?"

Face nodded, then winced at the movement.

"I'm sorry…I should have told you what I was doing."

"No…s'okay," Face shook his head, and winced again.

"Maybe you should just try to keep your head still," Hannibal suggested.

"Yeah…tell that to my neck that keeps forgetting," Face smiled weakly.

"How about you tell me something, kid…what was I saying in my sleep?" Hannibal remembered what he had been dreaming about, but he hoped that he hadn't said anything to tip Face off.

Face didn't have a chance to answer as the sound of the van screeching to a halt outside interrupted him. A few seconds later Murdock came flying through the door. "We gotta move…and now."

Hannibal sprung into action started picking up their things on auto pilot, they had to do this so often that they knew each move in their sleep. "What is it?"

"Military is on the way, they have been over at Richter's cabin and are headed this way."

BA threw some blankets over Face and picked him up while Hannibal and Murdock wiped their prints away.

"Leave it man, they know we're around. No need to risk a car chase with Face in the van because of hanging around for too long."

"It's a matter of a minute BA and they don't know we're here. We wiped Richter's place too." They were in the car and slowly moving away by the time Hannibal had finished his statement.

"Don't you think Richter sold us out?"

"No, besides he doesn't know where we moved too. Probably someone saw us, and if they connect us to Richter he'll be in huge trouble and I want to avoid that."

"Where to, man?"

Before Hannibal could answer a first moan of pain escaped Face's lips.

"Wherever we can hole up. But move slowly."

BA used only back roads and they never spotted the military anywhere. The ride over bumpy roads was pure hell on Face but he decided not to say anything. He couldn't however help the moans and grunts escaping him before he finally passed out. After about two hours they came across a group of little cabins for tourists and Hannibal decided it was safe to stop. They rented the far one and got settled.

Face woke up hours after they had settled him into bed. He hurt all over, much as he tried to hide it, it showed. Hannibal felt guilty but most of all was disturbed by the sad look in Face's eyes that was present since the earlier incident. As he placed cool clothes on Face's forehead he decided to change his earlier plans and not wait until the kid was able to sit up. Whoever said that you could only get adopted whiles sitting up? When Face slept again he went for requisites from the van and presented his fool prove plan to Murdock and BA.

"You nuts man, I ain't gonna wear no dress and fancy hair."

"But BA, you need to be my wife for the plan to work. They won't let two men adopt a boy, we need to act as a couple."

"You more crazy than Murdock. 'They' is Murdock and he knows I'm a man, besides Face knows."

"Face is six years old and doesn't know you but he knows that two men could never have adopted him back then. If we want him to believe that we really would have tried if we had been there we have to do this correct."

"Correct? What's correct about this nonsense? The whole ceremony is coming out of your imagination and crazy man is acting as the adoption officer. Ain't nothing correct about this."

"So you rather want Face to continue thinking he's just a visitor and not part of our family."

"Man, this is blackmail. I'll payback one day."

"So you gonna wear the dress then?"

"For the Faceman, not for you two. And if any of you laughs I'm gonna rip it off, understand?"

"Understood."

"Don't tell me the fool is acting as our biological son too."

"BA, much as I would love to call you mama I'm already playing two parts in this. I can't be your son in addition, or actually…"

"Knock it off Murdock, get ready." Hannibal was surprised himself that BA was willing to play along and didn't want to risk all because Murdock overdid it.

When Face woke up next Murdock was sitting beside him, batting his eyelashes at the sleepy figure. That was disturbing but what was worse was the fact that he wore the dress of a nun.

"Wake up Templeton dear. The couple is already waiting for you."

"Murdock? What are you doing?"

"I'm not Murdock, I'm sister Mary and you should think a six year old would listen to his care taker."

"Knock it off Murdock, I don't want to play orphanage."

"But dear, we're not playing. You're really in an orphanage but it's going to change soon." Hannibal who heard everything from outside the bedroom door smiled at Murdock's acting.

Face shifted to get a closer look at Murdock and winced at the movement. "What's wrong with everybody those days? I got the message loud and clear, you and the others don't need to remind me of being an orphan every other hour. I know it, I know where my place on this team is and I will never forget that. Stop this nonsense, it's not funny. You know I usually play along with your antics but this goes too far."

Murdock changed his voice back to normal. "Face…you don't understand."

"No…you don't understand." Face's agitation was increasing. "What do you think this is…a game?"

"No…I…um…we…"

"You what? Thought my childhood wasn't hard enough and that I'd like to relive it?"

"Don't make me say I told you so," B.A. said to Hannibal as they peaked through the door.

Hannibal shrugged. "Okay…so maybe my plan has a few kinks."

"Your plans always have some kinks. Now get in there and start workin' them out."

That would prove easier said than done, however, once Face took a look at B.A. in drag. "Why are you doing this to me? Am I that much of a joke to you?"

"Just let me explain, kid…"

"Don't call me kid. I've never been a kid…not since family after family rejected me. So what…you three decided you wanted to take your turn? All that talk about being a family…"

"It wasn't just talk, man. We was serious."

Face snorted. "Really , B.A….or should I call you Mrs. B.A.? You're wearing a dress for heaven's sake…and Murdock is dressed as a nun. How am I supposed to take anything you say seriously?"

"There is a good explanation, kid…um…I mean, Face."

"Well, you know what? I don't care!" Face was almost yelling and his body was shaking…partly from anger and partly from the increasing pain in his head and abdomen. "Get out...get out now!"

"Face…" Murdock tried.

"Did I stutter?" Face seethed. "GET OUT."

The trio looked at Face and then at each other; they had no choice but to respect Face's wishes. They knew that by them staying it was only going to escalate things more. As it was Face looked sick and was having trouble breathing from the extra exertion the conversation was placing on him. They silently walked out of the room and closed the door behind them.

Face waited for the door to close before allowing the tears to flow. What started as tears of sadness and humiliation of the way his friends had treated him soon turned into tears from the physical discomfort that just wouldn't let up. He didn't understand it, it was just physical pain after all and he had taken far worse. He behaved like a wimp, no wonder everybody teased him.

After what seemed like an eternity the door opened again and Hannibal peaked around the corner. "Mind if I come back inside kid?"

There was no reaction from the slightly shaking figure on the bed so he just entered and slowly approached Face. "Kid ? Ehm…Face I mean, sorry." When there was still no reaction he grew worried. "Face? What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"Come on Face, I know you."

"Do you?" It wasn't said with sarcasm but with great sadness.

"I do." Hannibal sat on the bed and took one of Face's hands, relieved that he didn't pull away. "Face, I'm sorry about earlier on. Come on, tell me where it hurts?"

"Just leave me alone." There was sadness in Face's words he hadn't heard before.

"No I won't. You're hurting and I care about you. I can't just leave you alone when you're hurting."

"You do? Then why did you hurt me like that, it was your brilliant plan I guess."

"I do care about you, more than you think, we all do. That's why we did what we did earlier on. Yes it was my plan and as per usual it didn't work out the way it was supposed to. Probably because you didn't work it over and remove the obvious problems."

"Hmmm."

"Come on Face, stop sulking. We did it because…well…I know it looks stupid but it made sense at the time. I…we…we just wanted you to feel part of the family. All the talking never convinced you so we decided to go back in time and adopt you formally. Just to show you…well…that we would have done it had we been around at the time…to show you that you're so much more than a visitor to us."

Face didn't say a word but just looked at Hannibal wiping away some more tears.

"We would have Face, we still would."

Face still didn't talk but the look in his eyes had changed some.

"Can you now tell me what's going on?"

He cast his eyes away. "It hurts so bad, I can't take it."

"You can kid, and you are not alone. I know it hurts but it's just because of moving around and because of the long time it's going on. It's wearing you out."

"Maybe."

"Want something for the pain?"

Face contemplated the offer for a while before he slowly nodded his head, again not meeting Hannibal's eyes.

"Hey, it's okay. You're not weak, just human."

Hannibal got up to get the meds and noticed with some hope that Face was reluctant to let go off his hand. "Face?"

"Hmm?"

"Can I call you 'kid' again?"

"Yeah…I'd like that."

"Kid?"

"Yeah?"

"Can you let go?"

Face pulled his hand away as if he had been burned. "Sorry."

Hannibal sat back down and quickly retook Face's hand not wanting him to get the wrong idea. "I just wanted to go get you some pills."

"Please…don't…don't leave me."

Hannibal felt Face squeeze his hand and look at him with fear in his eyes. He sounded like a child instead of the grown man he was. "Hey…hey…it's okay." But Face wasn't okay; he was pale and visibly suffering. "I promise I'll be right back."

It took some time for the effects of the pain killer to kick in. As the pain began to dull somewhat, Face found himself able to think a bit clearer. "You don't have to stay, Hannibal…I'm okay."

"Did you ever stop to think that maybe I wanted to stay?"

"It's just that as a kid when one of us was sick, we were separated from the others and pretty much had to take care of ourselves. I…I guess…I guess old habits die hard," Face stuttered feeling uncomfortable at what he had just revealed. "

"Well then, kid, we have to make some new habits."

"I'm sorry for complaining so much."

"It's not complaining, Face. You're explaining your past…I want to know about it and so do the others." Hannibal put a scowl on his face and in his best B.A. voice said, "And stop apologizin', fool."

Face couldn't help but smile. "That was pretty good."

"I am an actor after all," Hannibal beamed. "But seriously, it's good to hear a reason for why you hide your injuries. I mean we never could understand how you could complain so much about a paper cut, but play off a bullet hole as nothing."

"Am I that bad?" Face asked.

"Uh-huh," Hannibal nodded, but patted Face's leg to let him know that he wasn't annoyed by it. "In Nam I didn't think much of it. I just thought you were some kid trying to prove how tough he was to the rest of us. "

"I _was _trying to prove how tough I was," Face smiled.

"Well, you succeeded. There were times you did such a good acting job that I didn't notice there was something wrong until you fell on your face."

"I did not fall on my face…if I messed my face up, we'd all be in trouble." Face's tone was light, but there was truth in his statement.

"I stand corrected…I didn't know something was wrong until you fell on your ass."

"Better."

"I thought with time and when you got to know us you would learn that you didn't have to play the part of the brave soldier all the time. By the end of our time in Nam, we were all doing that to some extent to hide our injuries, so once again I pushed it aside. It wasn't until we were back in the states and about a year into our new lives as fugitives that I realized that nothing had changed."

Face's eyelids were growing heavy and he stifled a yawn. "You're not talking about that Clarksville job, are you?" Hannibal nodded. "I have to admit a lot of the details are fuzzy."

That was Hannibal's cue to fill in the blanks. "Allow me to tell you a bedtime story, kid. You remember why we were there?"


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

"Yeah, some goons harassing a nice elderly couple over nothing."

"Right, we went there to collect evidence and get them locked away. You did quite a bad performance and we would all have ended up in trouble if it had been any real opponent. During the four days we were there BA growled at you to do your job well, I promised you an obstacle course to stay fit and even Murdock expressed his disappointment at a point."

Seeing that Face was shifting uneasily Hannibal made sure to maintain a reassuring physical contact and kept rubbing Face's thigh. "You kept it together right to the point where Murdock returned and announced to everybody that the goons were in custody. As soon as the words were out of his mouth you collapsed in a heap. I was at your side in time with the old lady and felt your forehead but you were only slightly warm. Your shirt had shifted up from our maneuvering you to a more comfortable position and something dark caught the woman's eye. She lifted your pullover and gasped. As soon as she recovered from the first shock she tore into me how I could let an injured man take part in a mission and how I wasn't properly taking care of you. I also lifted your pullover to see what got her so worked up and didn't like what I saw there one bit. I had BA take you to bed and asked her to give you some privacy while I checked you over but she wouldn't hear one word of it."

"I remember that part. I woke up butt naked and she was sitting beside me."

Hannibal chuckled. "When you woke up you were butt naked but covered with a blanked but rest assured that she never took her eyes of you while we got you into that state." He quickly sobered. "With the exception of your head your whole body was one big bruise of several colors. It took us a full day to get the complete story of how a group of anti-Vietnam demo students got hold of you and beat you to pulp out of you and another three days to find out that you had come to the aid of one handicapped veteran they were picking on. During the one week we stayed there the lady took over caring for you wherever she could. She kept blaming us and insisted that we must have noticed something but the truth was, you had protected your face and kept all injuries from us."

"Needed to protect the face." Face's voice started to slur and his eyes remained shut at this point. "So embarrassed by her ministrations."

"It served you well for not telling us. You could have gotten all of us in trouble."

"But…protected the face…my value…" Face drifted off and was fast asleep before Hannibal could answer. 'No wonder the details are fuzzy kid, you were running on sheer will power.'

Hannibal's last words took him back in time and in his dream he relived what had felt like one of the most embarrassing events in his life…a time in which he really _had_ gotten them all in trouble. It wasn't hiding an injury that was to blame this time, although that would play a part later on. To this day the team didn't know exactly what happened.

The year was 1975 and they were well into their lives as fugitives and soldiers of fortune. They had been going nonstop, taking back-to-back jobs, and finally Hannibal announced they were taking a couple of weeks off. A day into their vacation Face went out for an early morning jog on the beach. As he ran under a pier he noticed a lady sitting in the sand and crying

"Ma'am…are you okay?" he asked the pretty twenty-something blonde.

"He…he hit me," she cried.

Face kneeled down on the sand and saw the red palm print on her cheek. "Who hit you?"

"My…my boyfriend."

Face saw red; nothing excused hitting a woman. "I'm sorry to hear that. Is there anything I can do to help?"

"No…you're very kind…but it's my problem."

Face was about to protest, but he never had the chance…and it soon became very much his problem as well.

"Get away from my woman!" came a voice from behind him.

Face stood to see a rather large, muscle bound man heading his direction with four others that looked to be about the same size.

"Hey, man…we were just talking," Face explained.

"She's my girl…she don't talk to nobody unless I tell her."

The words were out of Face's mouth before he had a chance to rethink them. "Is that why an ugly son-of-a-bitch like you hit a beautiful lady like her?"

Face didn't know what hit him, but there were fists…lots and lots of fists pounding his torso. And then he was being held down, limbs spread wide, each limb being held by one of the thugs. He could hear the girl screaming and crying for them to let 'the nice guy' go and that's when her boyfriend pulled out a switchblade.

Face refused to scream as the knife was slowly inserted into his thigh and dragged down toward his knee. It was agonizing, but he'd had worse. He remembered thinking that at least it was his leg and not his face that was being permanently scarred.

There was the sound of sirens in the distance and everybody scattered, leaving Face alone and bleeding badly. He tried to get up and run, but he was lightheaded and his body just wouldn't cooperate. The last thing he remembered was a cop standing over him while the pretty girl's voice cried. "He…he tried…to…to…you know…and that…that's when I stabbed him."

When Face woke he was lying in a jail cell. His leg had been bandaged but from the size of the growing bloodstain, it was still bleeding. He heard them before he saw them; the familiar voices were growing louder until the rest of the team was deposited in the cell with him. If looks could kill, Face was sure he was about to die.

"A chick? We in here 'cause of a chick?"

"No…I…that's not what happened," Face protested weakly, but the room was spinning and his head was pounding.

"So there was no girl?" Hannibal asked skeptically.

"There was…but…"

"But nothin', man. And if that ain't bad enough, you tell the cops who we are and where we stayin'!" B.A. snarled.

"I what?!" Face looked at Murdock, his wide eyes begging him to tell him it wasn't true.

"I'm afraid so, muchacho. Seems you started talking in your sleep…they were at our door before we had a chance to do anything."

"Oh, God."

"You better pray to God, Lieutenant," Hannibal said with a sigh. "Pray that I figure a way out of this mess."

They managed to escape later that day due in part to police incompetence. The rest was pure luck. Face, however, was feeling anything but lucky in the van as they fled in search of a new place to hole up. The vacation was over and judging from the tension in the van they were all beyond angry with him.

Hannibal waited until they stopped at a seedy motel for the night to lay into him. In short, while they didn't believe that Face had tried to assault the girl, he should have never gotten himself into that position. Face had been careless and as a result they could have all paid the price.

The only one paying any price at the moment was Face who, on top of being wrongfully accused by a woman he tried to help and not being asked by his friends for his version of the story, had yet to receive any real medical treatment. That was about to change, and with the mood the team was in they were anything but gentle. Hannibal took the first aid kit and brought out the sewing material. He told Face to remove the prison shorts he was still wearing and spread his legs so he could get to the cut on his inner thigh. As it turned out Face was wearing nothing but the prison shorts, his underwear must have been removed by whomever treated him. He wasn't really bothered by his nudity while around his team but uncomfortable and therefore anyway asked if they could get him a pair of boxers from his bag.

"You bringing your pants down all the time is what got us here, Don't think you need one now." BA was still pissed and it showed.

"I agree with BA plus I need full access to the wound without pushing some material out of the way."

Hannibal started sewing without any numbing agent and just concentrated on sewing well without minding the pain he was causing. Face endured it for some time before he begged Hannibal to give him something to numb the area.

"Serves you well, besides you'll get sick when I give you something and you need to stay alert on the run. Murdock can help you not to scream." While Hannibal continued sewing Face followed Murdock with his eyes as he rummaged around in Face's bag. As he couldn't hold back a scream Murdock pushed one of his socks into his mouth.

Face didn't know what was worse, the pain or the way they treated him but eventually it was over and Hannibal announced that he should sleep some. He was woken up three hours later and told to get into the van, they were going home.

Face made it to the van but just barely. He was panting by the time he sat down. They drove on for a full day until they reached their latest apartments. Hannibal opened the side door and told Face to check in every six hours before he got back in the car and they drove off, leaving Face to tend to himself. It hurt to see them drive off like that but it was nothing compared to the embarrassment he would have to go through some days later.

Hannibal could see that Face was dreaming by his moans and whimpers and by the way his head was shifting from side to side. He contemplated waking him up, but decided he needed the sleep, even if it wasn't completely restful. 'What's going on in that head of yours, kid?' he wondered. He would have to wait a bit longer to find out.

Face was sure to check in at regular intervals, and by the time Hannibal announced their next job three days later he could tell that the colonel had calmed down considerably. In contrast, Face's wound looked angry. The area surrounding the stitches was red and puffy, and a cloudy discharge was leaking out. Walking was uncomfortable to say the least and he was beginning to run a fever.

Face was torn; he knew he should say something, but if the team was ready to move on he didn't want to go back there. So he covered the cut with some antibacterial ointment, wrapped his thigh with a clean bandage and forced himself to walk as normally as possible. After all it was only a day job.

When Face got in the vehicle he was happy to see that things appeared to be back to normal. Hannibal and Murdock even apologized for being so hard on him, and B.A. grunted out, 'me too'. The relief was overwhelming, so much so that it almost took away his pain…until the job was complete and all his adrenaline ran out…and Face's leg gave out.

Hannibal, Murdock and B.A. watched as Face collected their fee from one of their clients. Face had more than pulled his weight by running a brilliant con and the money they earned as a result was desperately needed. He turned to walk back toward the team and his leg crumpled sending Face sprawling head first into a very large mud puddle.

Face could hear their hysterical laughter in his ears in spite of the mud that filled them. Face tried to play it off, but he was embarrassed. He looked nothing like the "Face" he was supposed to be. Still he joined in their chuckles from his spot on the ground, even though it was completely forced. When he went to get up his body wouldn't listen to his mind. His head swam, his leg throbbed and he couldn't move if he tried.

He remembered somebody asking if he was okay and being gently lifted from the mud. The concerned voices of his friends surrounded him, but he felt too sick to focus on the words. He never understood how things could go from relatively okay to really bad in a matter of seconds. With Face not responding to their questions the team was left to guess where the problem came from.

"He's burning up. The flu?"

"He doesn't have any other symptoms."

"When was the last time he ate?"

"This morning, we all ate together, that can't be it."

"Did he get hit?"

"Not that I saw it. Wouldn't also explain the fever."

"He's been limping and it got worse over the day."

"That's to be expected from the cut he had the other time, wouldn't be completely healed."

"Sure?"

Hannibal was sure after all he had treated the wound, but since they were running out of options he decided to check anyway. The first thing that greeted him when he removed Face's pants was a bandage that was soaked through with puss.

"Damn, he needs a doctor and now. BA, go get the van."

Face could hear them talk but was too far gone to make much sense of anything, let alone answer. They drove to the next clinic and carried Face inside. The doctor wasn't all too happy with the commotion they caused and asked everybody to leave the room while he treated Face.

"Doc, he reacts badly to all anesthetics."

"Well, I have to give him something, or you have to take him to a bigger hospital."

Hannibal couldn't risk a real hospital and opted to give the doc a list of the no-goes in medicine for Face. He wanted to stay but the doc had made his point clear. He promised to use a new form of anesthetic with fewer side effects.

Face was injected with something and within a short time he felt like floating. He was aware that someone worked on his leg but not much more than that. After the doc had finished and the drug slowly left his system he became more aware and felt extremely happy and carefree, just like a child.

"How are you?"

"Great, never been better."

"It's the drugs, they'll wear off soon. Don't overdo things."

"No, it's because my team is here with me, that's why I feel so good."

"Your team?"

"Yes, we're the A-Team, the best ever."

Something changed in the doctors' expression but due to the drug it took Face close to thirty minutes to work out what it was. It seemed that just that moment his mind decided to click together again and he realized just what he had done, again, he had talked about the team and brought them all in danger. He had to warn Hannibal. As he still contemplated how to get up Hannibal entered the room.

"Hannibal, I…I…" Face's color changed to bright red. He was so embarrassed about what he had done, he just couldn't get the words out, they would hate him forever.

"How are you kid?"

He had to warn him, no matter what. "Hannibal I…"

"Colonel, sirens." BA came bursting into the room, grabbed Face and was out and at the van in seconds. They got away just in time. As they settled in a hotel room hours later everybody was exhausted, especially Face. He never told the team that he had been the one to betray them but it still haunted his sleep.

Face was moaning and turning and mumbling Hannibal's name in his sleep and Hannibal decided that he wouldn't get any rest out of this sleep anymore. He gently shook Face awake who bolted upright, ready to run.

"Face, calm down."

"But the MP's we gotta move."

"You're just dreaming kid."

"No, no, I told him, we gotta move…..oh, Hannibal?" Face looked around and noticed that he had indeed been dreaming.

"You told what to whom?"

"I…I…can't…"

"Can't what, kid?"

Face's hands were trembling, but he tried to hide it by shoving them under the covers. "I just can't"

"Tell me what you were dreaming about. Whatever it is, you can talk to me, son."

"Son," Face repeated softly, then began to shake even more.

Hannibal nodded. "Just because my earlier plan was a bust, it doesn't mean I didn't mean the sentiment behind it, son."

"Stop…stop saying that." Face was having a hard time breathing. The dream and the memories had taken a lot out of him. And this time when he woke , he did so to a living nightmare…the team finding out that he turned them in twice.

Hannibal placed his hands on top of Face's covered ones feeling the trembles. "Hey, hey, now. It's okay…calm down."

Face couldn't get the air in or out it seemed. His chest was heaving and his eyes bulging.

"Breathe, Face…c'mon…just breathe." Hannibal's voice was beginning to rise as was his fear. "It was just a dream…you're safe."

But Face didn't feel safe; he felt scared and sick and as if he was going to die. "Not…dream…real…"

The door busted open and in came B.A. with Murdock on his heels. "What's goin' on man?"

"You all right, Faceman?" Murdock asked.

The answer to that was obvious, and seeing the rest of the team only served to increase his anxiety.

Face was starting to thrash around as his body fought for oxygen. Hannibal didn't know what to do, but he had to do something. If they didn't act soon he was going to hurt himself worse than he already was. Hannibal took a deep breath and took Face's head in both hands before blowing the air into his lungs. It served the purpose which was to remind Face's lungs that they needed air and get them started again. Face didn't only breath again he also trashed around wildly and scrambled backwards until he was stopped by the headboard. He had his knees at his chest and both arms folded around and was looking at Hannibal with big and scared eyes.

Hannibal and the others reached out for him and tried to get him stretched out again before his wounds opened but it only aggravated him more.

"Don't…please don't...no."

"Face, calm down, you're hurting yourself."

"No…please…leave me…I don't want to."

"You don't want to what?"

"I don't want it….please."

"Face…oh god, guys, leave him, back away."

"What is it colonel?"

Hannibal ignored them and concentrated on Face. "Kid, I wasn't going to force myself on you."

"But…but…but you kissed me."

"No I didn't, I just forced some air into your lungs."

"But…but…"

"But nothing. I wouldn't do such a thing to you. Now calm down and more important lay down again. You're aggravating your injuries."

Face wasn't sure but he felt the strain on his abdomen and decided he didn't have a choice anyway. He was outnumbered to say the least. He kept eying the others as he slowly slid under the covers. He tensed as Hannibal tried to help him so he backed away from the bed.

"That's alright. Can you now tell me what you were dreaming about?"


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

"The time….when…when the guy cut me."

"You've been cut rather often, which one?"

"The boyfriend of the girl I talked to, the one he was beating."

"That's new to me, when was that?"

"When…when I betrayed you…for the first time."

"Just what are you talking about muchacho?"

"When…when I told the police where you were and we all ended up in jail."

"When that chick stabbed you?" BA remembered just too well.

"No, her boyfriend while the others held me down. He was beating her."

There was silence for a while until Hannibal spoke up again. "Why didn't you tell us?"

"You never asked."

"Oh kid." Hannibal took a step towards the bed but Face tensed again so he stayed back. "Was that all or you dreamed more?"

"More. When I betrayed you again."

"But that happened only once?"

"No BA, I did it again. Told the doc who treated my leg and he called the MP's. I'm so sorry."

"It's okay kid, you didn't do it on purpose."

"But…but I did it."

"Doesn't matter. We know the effects drugs have on you. Anytime a doc gives you narcotics or a strong pain killer we're extra careful. That's why we heard the sirens in time."

"I…I don't understand." Face was truly confused now. They knew?

"We heard you talk under drugs more than once and you usually don't remember afterwards."

"Yeah man, how do you think Hannibal knew of you being raped?"

Face almost jumped out of his skin and Hannibal glared daggers at BA.

Face was beat red. "What…what did I say?"

"It doesn't matter kid."

"It does."

"No muchacho, it doesn't. Whatever happened in your past doesn't change our picture of you, okay? And we're not mad if you talk in your sleep or under drugs. That's why people with highly classified information don't receive morphine unless their Co is around."

"You, you knew all the time?"

Hannibal didn't know whether Face was talking of his history as a rape victim or of telling something to the doctor who treated him but decided that it didn't matter anyway and that he didn't want to get into the rape topic. What Face had revealed during his sleep years ago still made his stomach turn. "We didn't know what you said or if you said something but we know how you react to drugs and therefore we were extra careful."

"Yeah muchacho, nothing to worry about, just relax."

Face was far from relaxing.

"Kid, can I sit at your side again?"

Face nodded tentatively but never took his eyes off of Hannibal. He couldn't help but tense as Hannibal sat down and made contact.

"It's alright kid. I'm not going to hurt you. Now let's talk about this boyfriend that cut you."

Face recounted the story slowly, stopping for deep gulps of air every so often. The others listened intently, never interrupting but offering nods of support. By the time he was through he was rubbing his thigh subconsciously, staring blankly ahead, and lost in the memories.

"Face, you with us?" Hannibal asked gently.

Face swallowed hard. "You…you know the worst part? It was when…when they held me…held me down. It…it…felt like…well…I guess you know."

They did know; Face had told them over the years during nightmares or when he was sick and out of his head. He had been assaulted on more than one occasion, sometimes quite violently.

"Oh God," Murdock gasped as he suddenly remembered. "We were so awful to you!"

"S'okay…you didn't really know."

"We shoulda let you 'splain, man."

"B.A.'s right. We just assumed," Hannibal agreed sadly.

Murdock stood and put his hands to his head. "We…we let you suffer. We watched Hannibal hurting you…I stuffed a sock into your mouth! What kind of friends are we?" Murdock turned and fled from the room.

Hannibal and B.A., even though they stayed, looked distraught and said nothing.

Face felt awful. 'I shouldn't have told them. They tell me to be honest and it only winds up making things worse.'

Finally, Hannibal broke the silence. "I don't know why you put up with us."

"Huh? Why I…Hannibal…"

Hannibal held up his hand to stop Face. "This makes me wonder how many other times we…" Hannibal stopped as his voice shook. "I…I need to get some air. I'm sorry, kid." Hannibal walked out the door.

Face looked desperately at B.A.

"I better see if they're okay." It was an excuse and he knew it. He just didn't know what to say. "Ain't none of this your fault, Faceman." And B.A. was gone.

'The hell it isn't my fault,' Face thought. He was baffled. One minute they wanted to adopt him and the next they were walking out the door. They said they wanted to hear the truth, but then they couldn't take it. 'They would be better off without me dragging the past back or messing up again in the future.'

Face lay there looking up at the ceiling feeling helpless. The longer he lay there, the more he felt his sadness and confusion turning into anger. 'I'm not going to run away from this…it's time I took control.' Face attempted to sit up, but groaned as his midsection protested. 'That is if I can get out of bed.'

It took a few minutes, some sweat, and almost a couple of tears, but Face managed to get himself up and moving. He was close to the door when his foot caught the corner of the area rug and he stumbled forward. His right knee hit the ground first and hard. He rolled on the floor coming to a stop on his side and clutching the joint. It was a tossup what hurt most: his knee, his stomach, or his pride.

Eventually he decided on his pride. 'Come on you wimp, you're Special Forces after all, you can't let a little pain take you down. That would only prove their theory that you're not worth sticking around.' He pushed himself to his knees and used the wall for support to get up. He swayed dangerously after laying down for too long but maintained his grip on the wall. As the dizziness subsided he started to stumble forward. In his mind he marched down the hall to the open living area where he guessed his so called friends were gathered to read them the riot act but in reality he stumbled around without much dignity.

It turned out the dignity wasn't needed since he didn't meet a soul in the living area. But he saw them outside and was determined to get there, the problem was that said goal wasn't easy to reach. He decided on slowly moving along the wall and almost made it to the door when his legs gave out again and he slid to the ground. Sitting there and panting his anger was growing by the second. He was mad that nobody came to his aid while he knew that they couldn't know he was sitting there and he didn't also want their help. Still his anger was growing and he didn't know why. At least the anger gave him a boost and he got to his feet again to cross the last few steps to the door. He opened it and stepped outside, managing to stay upright without holding onto something. Without a chance for them to say anything he started to let his anger out.

"Some friends you are, you played the concerned family that wanted to adopt me just to hurt me and remind me of the worst time of my life but when you find out that you made a mistake you run and leave me alone. You know what? I don't need that. I don't need no concerned family and no father or brothers, I learned to live without all that a long time ago. Just go on treating me as you always do, ignore my feelings, tease me any chance you get and use me whenever you need something or when you need someone to go into the lion's den. I'm used to that and I certainly prefer it to your acted concern."

The plan was to turn, go back inside and slam the door shut before marching right back to his room. The trouble was that he was swaying to begin with and that venting his anger had also cost some energy. He attempted the turn but made it only to about 90 degrees before he ended up in a heap.

"Face!" they exclaimed in unison and went running toward the fallen man.

"Don't," Face seethed holding up the palm of his hand to stop them. "I…I can't take…take it anymore."

"Take what?" Murdock asked.

"This…me…my life." It came out as almost a sob.

"Face…" Hannibal started forward again.

"Don't come any closer." There was an empty glass Coke bottle on the porch within reach. Face grabbed it and smashed it against the side of the cabin. He held the jagged edge in front of him. "I mean it."

"What you doin', Faceman? You ain't gonna use that on us."

"I don't want to…don't make me." Face's eyes were wild, his nostrils flaring. "Stay back."

"Face, we're your friends."

"Oh really, Murdock? Weren't you the one questioning that very thing right before you ran out on me? Real friends would have stayed."

Hannibal took a step back to show Face he was listening. "You're right, Face. But it's because we are you're real friends and that we felt so badly about what we had done to you that we walked away…but we _were_ coming back."

Face shook his head sadly. "That's what they always say," he mumbled just loud enough for the others to hear.

"But we say it and mean it, man…hell…we done been runnin' together for more than a decade. And we still here, ain't we? If we wasn't your friends…no, if we wasn't your family…would we still be here?" All eyes went to B.A. "What you fools lookin' at?"

"Someone very special," Hannibal marveled.

"Damn straight," B.A. agreed with a smirk.

Face could feel his resolve beginning to waiver. B.A. was right…they were still there. He looked at the jagged glass in his hand. "What am I doing?" he wondered out loud. "It just…it's just…"

"What, muchacho…tell us?" Murdock pleaded.

"It's just that I'm really tired." Face placed the makeshift weapon down beside him. "I'm sorry about this…I could never hurt you guys."

"We know, kid."

They also knew that Face still was holding back, but it could wait until he got some rest.

They saw it before Face even felt it. As Face put his hand down to help push himself up the glass cut deep into the palm of his hand. "Ouch." Face brought his hand up and watched the blood soaking his sleeve and how the light caught in the piece of glass sticking out of his palm. He didn't feel any pain and forgot the world around him until he jumped at Hannibal's voice.

"Damn kid, only you can manage such things."

Before he could react Hannibal held his wrist and was looking at the damage while Murdock fled the scene again, this time in search of the first aid kit.

"S…sorry."

Face clearly misinterpreted their words and actions as them blaming him. Hannibal never understood how somebody who was mad at them a minute ago could be scared a moment later.

"It's okay kid, let me see." The glass was deeply embedded in his palm.

"What we gonna do Han'bal?" BA had moved in behind Face to give some support.

"We have to get the glass out and stop the bleeding."

"Not by ourselves, we need a doctor. I've seen several cases at the VA where things like this happened and the orderly removed the glass by himself not wanting to wake a doctor at night. One guy ended up dead a few days later and another one in severe trouble from little glass splinters that had wandered around in his body."

"You're right captain, let me just bandage around the glass to quell the flow of blood and then we find a doctor."

"No, no doctor."

"Why not kid?"

"We're safe here, doctor means we gotta move again."

"While that is true, no doctor also means risking your health and you value far higher than us having to move around."

"But…but I messed up, it's not right to drag everybody into the risk. Let's just remove it ourselves, we did it before, and if it starts to make trouble we can still find a doctor."

"Yes we did it before and we all remember how well that turned out. Besides we're not in a situation where we have to take any risks."

"What about the two of you take a ride and visit a doctor a bit away from here, that way you get to see the doc and we's still safe here." BA felt Face could use some quality time with the colonel and the wound seemed not to bleed to bad now that Hannibal had it bandaged.

"BA, you're full of good ideas. Come on, help Face to the van. You okay kid?"

He wasn't. He felt everything he did earlier on plus the pain in his hand but he knew they would take him to a doctor anyway and the further away the better. He nodded and let BA more or less carry him to the van.

They drove back towards where they had come from. Hannibal's idea was to get as close to where they had been spotted before as possible. He was quite sure the MP's would have left there and if they were spotted again that would only concentrate their search at that place and increase their safety at the other place. When they were only twenty minutes away from the hotel they had stayed before Hannibal felt Face couldn't take any more and found a small clinic. Face managed to walk inside with Hannibal's help but that was all he could do. He sunk into a chair in the waiting area as Hannibal approached the staff.

"My son slipped while drinking a coke and cut his hand on the bottle, a piece of glass is embedded in his palm."

The nurse took one look at the almost unconscious Face and hurried away. "I'll get the doctor." She appeared just a moment later with a wheelchair and the doctor.

Now that Hannibal had time and proper light to really look at Face he regretted having driven so far. The kid looked miserable.

"What's your name?"

"He's called Tim, Tim Smith."

"Where are you from?"

"We're tourists in the area."

"Can't your son talk for himself? I want to test his response, not yours."

"Sorry doc."

Face didn't respond much but just let himself be manhandled into the wheelchair and taken to the exam room.

"What happened? Mr. Smith, I'm asking you."

"Oh sorry, he slipped while drinking a coke and cut his hand. A piece of glass is still inside."

"Anything else?"

"No, well, maybe he hit his head falling down." Looking at Face Hannibal thought he needed to explain the lack of response but didn't want to reveal his other injuries since that would lead to too many questions.

"Okay, I'm going to inject you with some local anesthetic and then we can get started."

"No, please….doesn't hurt."

"Fa…Tim, just a local one Tim, no problem, okay?"

"No, please." Face was afraid to talk too much under drugs, as it had happened before.

"Just give it to him doc, he's out of his mind."

The doctor wouldn't have removed the glass without anesthetics anyway and therefore complied. "I'll need some time to remove it and clean the wound. Please join my nurse and fill in the papers in the mean time."

"I want to stay with my son."

"No, too many people around means more risk of infection."

"It's 'kay."

"Sure?"

Face nodded and Hannibal went with the nurse. By the time he was done filling the forms and went back to the examination room the door was open and the room was empty. He returned to the front desk. "Where's my son."

"Just a moment sir." She called the doctor and he approached seconds later.

"I'm sorry Mr. Smith but I'm not going to release your son into your custody unless the police has had a look at the case. You brought him here for his cut palm but that is the least of his problems. He's generally in a bad condition and the way he's responding I'm not sure about your relation to him."

"What's that supposed to mean? Where's my son?"


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

"He's safe and the police are on the way. Please have a seat and wait."

Hannibal had no choice but to comply; if he made too much of a fuss it would raise a red flag. "Just tell me if Tim is okay."

"I told you he was safe…"

Hannibal cut the doctor off. "But safe doesn't mean okay."

"The glass was deeply imbedded in his hand. I had to do quite a bit of probing to ensure that I got all the fragments and I'm afraid he was in some discomfort despite the anesthetic. We transferred him to another room to x-ray the hand and make sure no fragments were left behind before we stitch him up."

Hannibal frowned; who would have thought a bottle of soda could cause such trouble.

"Now if you'll excuse me, I'd like to finish his treatment before the police arrive."

Face sat with his arm propped up on a table for the x-ray. It hadn't hurt until the doctor began to dig around inside of the cut for what felt like an eternity. The nurse removed the blood soaked gauze just long enough to get a clear picture. In that short time a pool of blood welled up in his palm. Face gazed at in it fascination.

It was deep red…red…the color of danger. Reality hit hard…they were in danger. And once again it was all his fault.

Face scanned the room desperately looking for a way out. He had heard the doctor on the phone with the police and it was only a matter of time before they arrived. He could see the van just outside the window. 'If I could only get to it,' he thought.

The nurse was heading in his direction with a roll of gauze. "The x-ray looks good…no glass fragments. Let's slow the bleeding while we wait for the doctor."

It was only the two of them in the room. If he could only distract her long enough to get out the window.

"I…uh…don't feel so good," Face mumbled and proceeded to fall back onto the table.

"Sir? Tim? Are you okay? Oh dear!"

Face heard the footsteps as the nurse fled the room. He sat up and, ignoring the dizziness and accompanying nausea, grabbed the gauze and stumbled toward the window.

"Doctor…doctor! I need you stat!"

Hannibal sat frozen as the doctor, who had already been retreating, took off running. Fear gripped him as he wondered if Face was okay. But then he heard it and his heart soared…the familiar sound of the van's horn honking furiously. 'It can't be…'

Sure enough, Hannibal looked through the glass doors of the front entrance and there it was…and there Face was behind the wheel.

Hannibal wasted no time and was jumping into the passenger seat within seconds. Face had his foot down on the pedal before he had a chance to shut the door.

"I don't know how you did it, kid, but I'm impressed," Hannibal praised once they were a good distance from the clinic and in the clear. It was then he noticed the blood on the wheel. He took a close look at Face and felt like looking at a puzzle game. He had been looking at him briefly and not seen anything wrong and now one by one the pieces clicked into place. He saw the blood on the jeans and seat and thought of another injury but then saw the steady dripping of blood from the wheel. He now also noticed the haunted faraway look in Face's eyes and the paleness of his skin. He was on auto mode and Hannibal had to break through to him and fast.

"Kid pull over, I'll take it from here."

No reaction.

"Lieutenant, I said pull over, I'll take the wheel."

"I…I…screwed up, need to get away, police." Face heard Hannibal as if through a tunnel. It was getting harder to concentrate on the road by the second but he knew police was on the way and he couldn't slow down. Hannibal had said something but he could only concentrate on driving now. He needed to make things right and get them to safety. The dizziness had been bad to begin with and the treatment coupled with the blood loss had done nothing to help it.

Hannibal knew he had to stop Face before he collapsed at the wheel but had no idea how. He tried talking, soft words, strong words, singing, nothing worked.

Face heard Hannibal but couldn't understand anything. Why couldn't he just shut up, he was distracting him and it was so hard to concentrate already. He needed to get them to safety but Hannibal wouldn't shut up. The dizziness increased to the point where everything moved. The road moved, the van moved, the wheel felt slick and sticky and the trees at the side of the road waved and moved. He blinked but it didn't help. All in a sudden one of the trees jumped right in front of him and Hannibal tried to grab the wheel. Face broke out of his trance and hit the brakes hard. The van slowed but not enough. The driver side of the front crashed into the tree and Face crashed into the wheel. His lower abdomen was on fire as he sat there panting. Hannibal had been thrown into the dashboard and needed a moment for himself to recover before he could help Face.

"Kid? Are you alright?"

"Ughhh."

"That good, eh? Remind me to tell BA to install something like automatic closing seatbelts. Apart from your hand, where else do you hurt?"

"Belly. Head."

"Okay, let me see."

"Need to get away, police."

"We first need to collect all our body parts and then see if the van is still moving. Come on, let me have a look."

Hannibal had turned his seat towards Face and lifted his shirt. With all the blood from his hand now smeared all over his shirt and abdomen from connecting with the wheel it was hard to judge but it looked like all the stitches in his abdomen were still where they belonged. He got up and guided a boneless Face to the passenger side where he looked around for something to quell the flow of blood. Before he could get up and go for the first aid kit Face produced the role of gauze he had taken along.

"Always the supply officer, thanks kid." He unwrapped the role of gauze, pressed it to his palm without unrolling it and fixed it with a towel. "Press down on it to stop the flow, can you do that?" A nod. "I need to stitch you up but let's get some distance away first."

Hannibal got out and checked the van. The tree had smashed in the front light on the driver's side and left a nice dent. The drivers' door opened only a fraction and the front bumper hung down. Luckily the tire was in one piece. He used the sliding door to get back inside and reached for the key in the ignition to see if the engine was working but couldn't find one. That was when he remembered that the key was in his pocket. Looking down he noticed the ripped out cables. Face had short wired the van. BA was sure going to kill them. As soon as they had recovered from the incident that is. To his immense relief the engine came to life. He climbed back out and fixed the bumper with duct tape before getting back in and reversing to the road.

"You 'kay?"

"I'm okay kid, a bit shaken but okay. Let's get away from here." Truth was he had hit the dashboard quite hard and wasn't sure if all his ribs had survived but that couldn't be helped now. He was already planning again. With the van looking like this they were sure to attract unwanted attention. The options were to repair the van and move or stash the van and move with a different vehicle. He picked up the phone and called BA to give him the summary.

"…How long will you need to repair the van?"

"Depends on what you fools did to ma baby. I can't tell before seeing the damage."

"You'll by all means need a workshop. I want you to meet us half way in a bigger town to not draw anyone too close to our hideout. Get a vehicle and take your radios. I'll give you a location. First I need to find a safe spot and stitch Face up as long as there's something inside of him."

Hannibal tried to keep his tone light but Face understood it as having screwed up again. Not only had he given away their position and compromised their safety but he was also a burden and slowing their escape down. Plus he had messed up B.A.'s van; the last time he had damaged the vehicle B.A. had gone ballistic. His thoughts drifted back to that day as Hannibal pulled back out onto the road.

_ "Trust me, B.A., the van will be just fine."_

_ "She better be, man, or you gonna pay."_

_"Hey, I'm the one risking my neck going undercover in that dive bar with those creeps…last time I checked, your van didn't have a neck to risk."_

_"And if you value that neck of yours, you better bring my ride back the same way you leavin' with her."_

_Face's cover had been blown through no fault of his own. A "Where Are They Now" story just happened to be playing on the big screen TV during Face's shift. His blood ran cold as he stared at the picture to see that the A-Team were that week's focus. It took all of ten seconds before he was made by one of the crooks and had to make a run for the back door. Following him was a barrage of bullets, one of which caught him in the upper arm._

_Face returned the van to B.A., but certainly not in its previous condition. There were bullet holes littering the entire driver's side as well as blood in the interior._

_ "I'm gonna kill you, fool!"_

_ "B.A, I can explain." _

_ "No you can't…'cause dead man can't speak."_

_The last thing Face remembered was B.A. grabbing him by the collar and a fist coming toward him. When he eventually came to he was lying in a bed; his arm was throbbing, but he was surprised to find his face wasn't. Murdock later explained to him that he had passed out cold before B.A. had a chance to land the punch. Face healed and the van was repaired. They never spoke of it again, but Face would never forget the angry look in B.A.'s big brown eyes._

Hannibal drove until he located a spot where he could hide the van behind some dense foliage. "Face, you with me kid?"

Face was jolted back to the present. "Hmmm? Yeah…you 'kay?"

"I should be asking you that question." The ache in his ribs had subsided and while he was sure to be bruised he knew it wasn't anything more. "I'm fine."

"M'fine too," Face slurred.

Hannibal rolled his eyes. "That's getting kind of old, kid."

"M'sorry."

"Relax, Face. I was just kidding. But your hand is no laughing matter. Let's stop the leakage, shall we?"

"Hmmm."

Hannibal was concerned by the one word answers he got. Face seemed to be at the end of his rope and they still had quite some way to go. Much as he wished Face was out of it and wouldn't need to feel the pain he also knew it was important for him to stay conscious until they got to a safer place or at least reunite with the others. If the need to run occurred Hannibal would not be able to carry an unconscious Face for more than a short distance unless in a fireman's carry and that wouldn't do his abdomen any good.

"I hope some of that stuff the doc shot you up with is still in your hand." This was going to be painful due to the thick skin and the numerous nerves in the palm. Hannibal was about to start when Face's words made him stop and look up again.

"Didn't talk."

"What? Kid, you know we're not blaming you for talking under drugs. Do you?"

Face just looked at the blood on his hand.

"Face, look at me." If it wasn't for the sterile gloves Hannibal had put on he would have taken Face's head between both hands. As it was he just brought his own Face so close to Face's that it was impossible for them not to look at each other. "We're not blaming you for your reaction to drugs. I never want you to hold back and refuse to be given pain relief out of fear you could say something wrong. Do you hear me? We know of your reaction and are ready to react ourselves."

Face didn't give any reaction, just looked at Hannibal with disbelief written all over his eyes. Hannibal had no time to argue now and doubted Face was fit enough to really understand something but made a mental note to bring up the topic again. He stitched up the wound and bandaged the hand in sterile gauze. By the time he was done Face was still gritting his teeth against the agony and had his eyes screwed tight. He made sure he was strapped in well in the passenger seat before continuing their journey. He had been contemplating to get Face to the back and lay down but this way he was secured in case of a car chase and also under close surveillance. Besides he doubted he could have gotten him to move out of the seat without manhandling him and causing discomfort.

As soon as he had found a bigger town and a promising looking fitter shop he radioed to Murdock and BA and meet up with them. As soon as the car stopped BA moved towards the van and opened the passenger door. A semi conscious Face was wide awake all in a sudden.

"BA, sorry, didn't mean to crash…"

"Shut up fool." BA leaned over Face and undid the seat belt.

"I'm sorry I'll make it up…"

"Told you to shut up, it's just a car. I'm glad you and the colonel are more and less in one piece. Now come on."

"You're not mad? Whatever punishment you have in mind I'll take it."

"You're a fool, told you it's just a car. Come on." BA half carried Face over to the other van he and Murdock had brought and placed him on the makeshift bed with Murdock's help. With the exception of Face who had his closed, all eyes were on BA who stomped off muttering under his breath.

Murdock started to follow him but Hannibal grabbed his arm and said, "give him a minute to cool off...he'll come back when he does."

'To cool off,' Face thought. 'He says he isn't angry, but he is.' That was his last thought before he passed out.

When B.A. didn't return after fifteen minutes, however, they began to worry. When they heard B.A. yell, they ran.

'Stop…there's a…" They heard B.A. shout but it was too late; one minute they were running and the next they were falling. "Big hole," B.A. finished as they landed next to him.

"Thanks for the warning, big guy," Murdock coughed out as the dust began to settle.

"Everybody okay?" Hannibal questioned while standing up and brushing himself off and deciding he was no worse for the wear.

"Yeah, man…I'm fine. Takes more than a hole in the ground to hurt me." He left out the part that he had just woken back up after hitting his head while falling into the hole.

"Me too." Murdock picked his cap up off the ground and shook off the dirt. "For a guy who has just been swallowed up by the Earth."

"What is a hole this size doing so close to the shop?" Hannibal wondered out loud.

"I don't know, colonel, but I have a more important question." Murdock looked up the steep wall of dirt in front of him. "How are we going to get out of it?"

Face wasn't sure what was going on, but he thought he had heard a scream. He opened his eyes to see that he was alone, but he had a bad feeling in his gut that the others were in trouble. Face forced himself to get up but it was no easy task. Between the dizziness and the pain he was brought to his knees instantly. Once the accompanying nausea subsided, he began to crawl in search of his friends, only he had no idea which way to go. He couldn't see them anywhere and no other person too. He found that kind of odd in the middle of the day but was more concerned to find his friends. They had parked at the back of the fitter shop where the entrance for the cars was. The ground was dried dirt and some gravel. He could either round the corner to the front or try his luck in the woods at his back. He decided that BA would probably have run off into the forest to cool off but at the same time he wasn't too thrilled with the idea to crawl around in the woods. He decided to make his way over to the corner and see what's there.

In the mean time BA, Hannibal and Murdock were trying to get out of the hole. It was too deep for one man alone to get out but the sides looked as if someone had tried before.

"Big guy, how long did you try to crawl out of this before giving up?"

"I didn't try nuthin, can see that there's no way out for me alone."

"You didn't?"

"No, why?"

"Just thinking, let's get out of here."

"How?"

"BA, try to get a good stand, I'll stand on your shoulders and Murdock will climb on the two of us and try to get out."

"If we're able to pull this off we can work for the circus."

"Any better plans? No? Then let's try it."

They tried for a while and changed angles and ways to stand and although they were improving they were tiring and Murdock always brought the trio down before he could get out. Thanks to the soft soil nobody got injured but they would all be bruised like something.

It was slow going for Face. The dizziness was bad and he took a while to reach the corner. Not to mention that crawling meant to either be on his knees and hands which was something his palm fiercely protested against, or laying flat and crawl using the forearms and legs, which was something his abdomen objected against. He tried knees and elbows but that didn't work well too. But a combination off all plus some shuffling on his side brought him to the corner. He looked around and saw a deep hole in the ground. What made his heart leap was the fact that he heard voices, his teams voices, somewhere. He took his remaining energy together and managed a weak "Guys."

It was just one word and not really loud too but it stopped all activity in the hole. "Face? Don't come near the hole kid. Stay where you are."

Hannibal could as well have told him to come over to the hole because that was what he did ones he knew where they were and that they needed his help. The knowledge that his team was in trouble rather gave him the extra boost to make it the last few feet to the side of the hole. Just as he reached there, Murdock's head appeared followed by his arms. Face stretched out his arm and grabbing onto Face's clothes gave Murdock the little extra hold he needed to get out of the hole.

"Face, are you okay buddy? Of course you're not, but you're not worse than you were, are you?"

"I'm 'kay."

"Murdock, report."

"Sorry colonel, he seems to have crawled over here, judging by his dirty appearance. He's worn out but I can't see any new damage."

"Nothing much left to get damaged." BA muttered under his breath.

"Can talk…myself."

"Sure buddy. What do you want to say?"

Face was totally spend and just closed his eyes. He was resting on his side with his head on his arm.

"Seems I summarized to his satisfaction."


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

"Get us a ladder already fool."

"And make sure Face stays away from the hole, we don't need him falling in here."

"Doesn't look as if he's going anywhere anytime soon."

As Murdock went past the hole towards the shop to look for a ladder that was long enough an old lady emerged from the house. She was holding a shotgun in front of her.

"Are you some of Tyler's men?"

"Certainly not ma'm, who's Tyler and more important, do you have a long ladder?"

"Thought as much, there's a ladder back there." She lowered the gun and pointed to a shed by the side and Murdock wasted no time to get it and lower it in the hole, effectively getting his team members out in no time.

"That's a dangerous hole you have in your yard, you should put up a warning sign."

"It was Tyler, he put it here, he's evil, just plain evil."

Hannibal could see that the old lady was at the end of her rope but also wanted to tend to Face. "What about we clean up a bit and then you can tell us the whole story?"

"Sorry, I should have asked you inside."

"No worries mama, we'll help you." BA as always had a calming influence. He picked up Face and she led the way inside the house.

Once Face, who hadn't stirred, was settled on the sofa and the team was cleaned up some they sat by a cup of tea and the woman started talking. "We, oh sorry, I'm Edna. Me, my husband Charles and our son Henry live here. Tyler is selling wells and he bullies everybody in the outskirts of town into buying one. A lot of folks just left but we stayed. We told him we have a well and don't need his but he won't take no for an answer. He tried scaring our customers away but we were able to convince them to come back, he killed our dog some weeks back but we still didn't give in. This morning when Charles and Henry were on a supply run he came here, kidnapped me and digged the hole with his machine to make wells. Henry was the first to return, he rounded the corner and fell inside, just like you," she looked at BA, "from what I heard and later on saw he twisted his ankle. He yelled out and my husband came running round the corner just like you two and fell in too. They made me watch from the window with a gag in my mouth. They just left them there for 30 minutes before they brought the ladder to help them out. They tied them up and put them in a van telling me they'll be released when I bring the money to pay for the well they established. He wants me to pay 20.000 Dollars for the hole he put here. I don't have that much money and I'm so scared of what he'll do to them." By now she was crying.

"Don't worry mama, we'll get them back. You have a plan colonel, right?"

"I will, just need some more information on the guy. We'll help you and get your folks back, don't worry."

"Sorry I didn't get you out sooner but I first thought you were Tyler's men coming back for me. They are bullies and not very bright, they could easily run into their own trap. But when I saw your injured friend crawling around the corner to come to your aid I knew you must be someone else."

"What about the police?"

"They get a share of the money he's pressing from people and look the other way."

"What do you know about the guy?"

She told them all she knew and Hannibal decided they needed to do some recon before he could decide on a plan.

"I'll care for your friend while you're gone. Looks like he's plum tuckered out and needs to sleep."

The team didn't want to leave Face, but they did want to help Edna. And in order to do so quickly, and with a man down, the remaining three had to work together. As they left they were too focused on the task ahead to notice they were being watched.

Face woke up on the couch and heard somebody singing in the other room. Strangely, even though he didn't know where he was, he felt safe. So safe that he drifted right back to sleep as the sweet sounds filled his ears.

When he next opened his eyes Edna was sitting across the room from him in a chair staring absently out the bay window. He cleared his throat and asked, "Ma'am, are you okay?"

Edna jumped slightly and then turned toward Face. "Oh, you're awake dear." She stood and walked over to the couch. "I'm fine…just worried is all."

Face tried to scoot himself up slightly but winced at the pain it caused. "Worried?"

"Yes, about my family…and about you too. You've been sleeping for quite some time. You remind me of my son, Henry." She cupped her hands over her mouth as tears sprang to her eyes. "Oh…my boy."

Face was unsure what was going on, but he could see how distraught the older lady was. "Ma'am…it's going to be okay."

Edna removed her hands and gave a watery smile. "That's what your friends said. They left a couple of hours ago to see if they could find my husband and son who were kidnapped earlier."

Face inwardly sighed with relief; not that Edna's family had been taken, but that the team hadn't deserted him. "They'll find them…trust me."

Edna nodded. For some reason she did trust this stranger and his crew. "Now…um…"

"Face…you can call me Face."

"Face? What kind of a name is that?"

"Better than my real one…Templeton."

"I think that's a fine name, but Face it is." Edna placed a cool hand to Face's warm forehead. "Face, you're feeling mighty warm."

'Then why do I feel so cold?' Face thought. But before he could ponder the state of his internal thermostat he saw a flash go by the window. Seconds later there was the sound of breaking glass coming from the kitchen.

Edna screamed, but Face reacted on instinct jumping off the couch and pushing her toward the front door. "Run…run and hide," he ordered.

"But…"

"No buts…go." Face was in no condition to run himself, plus he wanted to protect Edna from the intruder or in the very least buy her time to get away.

Edna ran out the door and toward the woods. She hid among the trees watching and praying that Face would soon follow.

The van approached the house at a moderate pace. Inside Hannibal, Murdock and B.A. discussed their plan to get Charles and Henry back while taking down Tyler at the same time. Edna's information had led them straight to the bad guys, and she was right, they didn't appear to be very smart. The captives were tied up right out in the open and there didn't appear to be a large security detail.

"This should be a piece of cake…"

"Aw, Hannibal…did you have to say that?"

"Yeah, colonel…every time you say that, instead of cake, we wind up with pie in our faces."

They were delivered the first piece of that pie as they pulled up in time to see Face's body going through the bay window. Murdock was out of the van before it even came to a halt closely followed by Hannibal but instead of running to their unmoving friend they had to duck behind the car as bullets started flying their way.

"Damn, keep them busy and away from Face, I'll circle around the house to the front entrance."

They did as were told and managed to keep the bullets coming their way as Hannibal made it inside the house. It didn't take long for him to sneak up to the thug who was fully concentrated on shooting and didn't watch his rear end. As soon as the shots stopped Murdock and BA were at Face's side. He was unconscious but had a strong and steady pulse. They gave Hannibal a thumbs up before checking him closer and he started to lay into the thug.

"Okay you scum, you made a very big mistake. What are you doing here?" A truly furious Hannibal is nothing any scum wants to have on his side. The guy was scared to the extent that he was shaking.

"Tyler sent me, I was supposed to scare the old lady into paying but hero there got in the way and helped her to run off."

"So you decided to throw him through the window?"

"Well, Tyler is going to be mad at me."

"That's your excuse for hurting one of my men? Try again." Hannibal pushed him forward and out of the house. "BA, tie him up and go see if you can find Edna. Murdock, what do we have here?"

"He's out of it but with a strong and steady pulse. Looks like he was conscious when he went flying. His forearms are bleeding from cuts, I would say he was protecting his face." Face had been wearing long sweet pants and a t-shirt. His forearms and feet had some cuts but the rest of his body had been protected. Overall he had been lucky.

"Who would have thought that he had the energy to fight, the wonders of adrenalin. He has a nice bump at the back of the head and this is going to be one hell of a shiner. Looks like his jaw too took some good hits. I hope he didn't get hit in the stomach again. Kid's not lucky those days."

BA had gone close to the forest and before he could even call out Edna came out of her hiding place sobbing. "BA, my god, this is all my fault. I should have bought the darn well. How is your friend? I saw them fighting but I froze, I couldn't think of a thing to do."

"Nothing is your fault mama. He'll be fine. What do you think you could have done? He's trained and did the right thing to get you to safety. That's our job. Good thing we came back though, we found your husband and son and they appear to be well. We only wanted to wait for nightfall to get them."

The plan to wait, however, went out the window. Tyler would notice his missing man. They had to act and soon. Edna and B.A. reached the house in time to see Hannibal carrying Face inside the door.

Face moaned softly as he was once again placed down onto the sofa.

"I think he's coming to," Murdock said. "Edna, do you have a first aid kit?"

"Sure do. My boy Henry is always getting into scrapes. I'll be right back."

The team was alone when Face cracked his eyes open. "Hey," he smiled weakly at the three faces hovering over him. "You guys look awful."

Hannibal chuckled. Face was right; they had gotten dirty once more while scouting out the bad guys.

"You guys okay? Edna?"

"She fine, man…thanks to you," B.A. smiled.

Hannibal noticed something different about Face. In spite of his obvious injuries he looked…happy? "How're you feeling, kid?"

Face smiled a genuine smile; one that he hadn't had a chance to use lately. "Never better."

They stared at him in confusion; maybe he hit his head harder than they thought. Face knew what they were thinking and continued. "It's the first time in a long time I've felt useful."

Edna returned with the kit and beamed, "Thank you so much…you were wonderful."

"And now it's our turn to be wonderful and bring your family home," Hannibal said. He turned to Face. "We hate to leave you…"

"Go," Face waved him off. "I'm okay."

"No you aren't," Edna clucked. "Those cuts need to be cleaned out. Let me in there."

Hannibal gave Face one more look to which the lieutenant repeated, "go, I'm okay."

"We'll be back in a jiffy, muchacho."

And they were back quite quickly, but without Charles or Henry.

"They're fine, Edna," Hannibal explained. "Charles just stopped off with Henry to get his ankle checked out by the doctor. They should be back soon."

"Oh thank goodness!"

"How's Face?"

"He drifted off shortly after you left. I cleaned his arms and feet the best I could, but he seemed to be in pain but said it was just a slight headache."

The guys looked at each other doubtfully…slight to Face could mean that his head was about to fall off.

They didn't find out about Face's condition since he was fast asleep with no signs of waking up for the next two hours. He didn't even stir when BA repaired the window with a large folio until a proper repair could be done. Edna however grew worried after just thirty minutes.

"What's the matter Edna?"

"Were there a lot of people at the doctors?"

"We didn't join them inside, why?"

"Normally it wouldn't take long, and how were they supposed to come back here?"

"They were going to call a taxi."

"I'm just worried that Henry's ankle is broken or something, it's taking them too long."

After another hour they were all worried.

"Murdock, go back to the doctor and see where they are."

Murdock did just that and came back about fifteen minutes later.

"Don't know much more. They were there, the ankle is just sprained, they took off in a taxi about thirty minutes after they entered."

Edna spoke up. "Did he say what taxi company he had called?"

"Yes, he said he had called for 'Speedy taxi' but instead one of 'Barney's taxi' showed up claiming that he had been asked to take over."

"Oh no."

"What's it Edna?"

"The son of the local police chief is the owner of 'Barney's taxi'. Maybe they took them again."

"Damn, let's go guys, I have a feeling that they are back at where we started."

"You think they would be stupid enough to send them to the same place?"

"I'm convinced that they are stupid, let's go, Edna, take care of Face for us, we'll get your family back."

What the team didn't know was that the stupid goons were not working alone but had gotten reinforcements in the mean time. And those reinforcements were heading in Edna and Face's direction.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Edna heard the slamming of a car door and thought, 'They just left ten minutes ago…they can't be back so soon.'

She made her way over to the front door and peered out through the peep hole just in time to see the back of whomever it was walking away from the garage, getting in the car and driving away. It struck her as odd, but she didn't have time to dwell on it as a loud moan came from the couch.

"Face!" Edna exclaimed hurrying in his direction. "You're awake."

"Unfortunately," he rasped weakly putting a trembling hand up to his head.

"Still hurts?"

"Mmmhmm." Face shut his eyes to block out the light that felt like it was searing through his brain.

"You just lie still…I'm gonna go and get you some peas for your head."

'Peas?' Face thought, but didn't have the energy to ask. 'Maybe I'm delirious.'

But it all made sense moments later when a bag of frozen peas was place over his eyes and on his forehead. It felt like heaven against his pounding skull and he allowed himself to drift off once more.

The phone rang a couple of hours later and Edna quietly stepped away to answer it leaving Face and the part of her dinner he was wearing.

"This is all so strange," she said softly upon return.

Face took a deep breath trying to quell the nausea he instantly felt upon waking, then asked, "What?"

"That call…it just sounded like a clock ticking."

Face's radar went off. "What else?"

"Earlier I saw somebody coming from the garage. He just got in his car and drove away."

In spite of his aching head, Face forced himself to think and then react. "Stay here," he ordered before jumping off the couch.

Stunned, Edna watched Face run out the door with tremendous speed. She stood in the door way as he disappeared inside the garage.

Face didn't know how much time he had, but he knew he had to do something before this family's livelihood went up in flames. As he approached the back of the structure he heard it: tick, tick, tick. There it was before him…a bomb…and it was counting down.

"32 seconds," Face panted. There was only one choice. Face picked up the explosive device and sprinted for the door.

Edna couldn't tell what Face was holding when he reemerged, but from his velocity, it couldn't be good. He stopped suddenly and cocked back his arm.

Face threw the bomb with all his might. Not waiting for it to land he turned and fled in the other direction. There was a loud noise…followed by intense heat…and then he knew no more.

Edna shielded her eyes from the blast. "Face!" she shrieked when she uncovered them and saw the unmoving figure on the ground. He had saved their lives and their future…but at what cost?

This time as the rest of the team drove back to the house they had Charles and Henry with them.

"See, I told you it would be a piece of cake," Hannibal gloated.

"Do you ever learn, man?" B.A. muttered.

"I wonder what kind of pie we'll be served this time?" Murdock responded wryly.

They pulled up to the house just in time to see Face being thrown forward by the fireball in the sky. BA stopped the van at once and they all ran towards the unmoving figure. All but one, Henry limped as fast as he could.

Face was laying face down in the dirt with his hands under him. His left leg was bent off at the knee in a strange angle while his right leg was bent half way between the knee and the foot. Hannibal was first to reach him and let out a sigh feeling the strong if too fast pulse underneath his hands. Before he could say anything Charles was already shouting over to a fast approaching Edna "Get back inside and call Dr. Hendriks, we need him here and fast."

Edna looked like she was working on auto pilot and turned around heading the other way.

Hannibal checked Face's spine and neck and decided it was safe enough to lift his upper body a bit to see if there was any damage that needed immediate treatment. "BA, help me here, lift him a little, Charles, get a blanket to put under him."

BA lifted Face just a bit as to not aggravate his legs any more while Murdock held his head steady, just in case and because he didn't just want to stand around. Hannibal lay down in the dirt to look under Face. He didn't see any blood but his hands were bent back towards the upper side of his arms in an angle that didn't look normal again. "Henry, grab his left arm and gently move it to the side so that it isn't locked under his body any longer." Hannibal did the same to the other arm and they lowered him back on the blanket Charles had pushed under as good as possible. Edna came hurrying over at just that moment.

"What happened?"

"How is he?"

Edna was visibly shaking and both husband and son embraced her.

"His legs look broken but we can't be sure until the doc comes. Can you tell us what happened?"

"There…there was somebody in the garage and then, hours later the phone rang and all I heard was a clock ticking. I told Face and he looked like thinking and then all in a sudden he jumped up and ran out telling me to stay where I was. Then I saw him running into the garage and out again, throwing something away and then the blast and he flew through the air. I…he…the bomb…he…"

"Calm down Edna, all is going to be fine." Before Hannibal could say any more the doc came around the corner with squeaking tires. After quickly checking Face over he announced that he needed to take him to his clinic and gave out instructions to almost everybody around. Hannibal felt uncomfortable to hand over command over his men and himself but knew it was necessary. Within some few minutes Face was loaded in the back of the doctor's car on a gurney and driven to the clinic. Hannibal and Murdock rode with the doctor while the rest sat in the van.

Waiting for the doctor to reemerge was the hardest part on all off them and seemed to take forever while in reality it took just over thirty minutes. Everybody jumped up as Dr. Hendriks walked toward them.

"He'll live. Who did that to him?" He looked grim and ready to bite somebody's head off.

"Our best guess is Tyler." Charles supplied.

"Oh that scum."

"Doc, how's my son?" Hannibal interrupted. He wasn't in any mood to talk about Tyler but wanted to know Face's condition. 'He'll live' just didn't do.

The doc smiled a little before scratching his beard. "Well, where do I start? Should I list the parts that are okay? That would be faster. Anyway, some of the injuries are old so I guess you know about them. The blast or rather the impact caused his left knee to dislocate. I put it back in but we'll have to check what damage was done in a few days when the swelling is gone and the muscles and ligaments had time to get back to normal. So far nothing seems torn. His right leg is broken. It wasn't a clean break but also not an open one. I set it without having to cut him, good thing he was out of it. I put it in a splint for now. There's some swelling that will get worse before it gets better and I can put it in a cast. Both wrists are sprained and I bandaged them to keep him from moving them too much, while that alone is unlikely, it will hurt like hell to move his hands for a while, let alone use them for anything. Looks like he brought his hands forward to break the fall but the force was just too much and pressed him down before he could bring his arms up. What has me worried is the clear signs of a concussion he's showing. The rest looks old, was that also Tyler's work?"

"Not all of it."

"Oh, and colonel Smith, you don't have to make up any stories about him being your son, I know whom you are and I'm not going to rat you out." At Charles puzzles look he went on, "This is the A-Team that came to your house Charles, if anyone can get rid of Tyler it's them."

"Can we see him now?" Hannibal was about to say he is his son, if not biological, but decided that seeing Face was more important than to stand around talking. They seemed safe here and for that he was grateful.

"Sure but he's out of it and will probably be for a while."

Face looked pale and all the bandages didn't help. The only sound in the room was the steady dripping of the IV that was connected to his arm. The team wordlessly brought chairs close and sat around the bed to wait for Face to wake up. The rest took the hint and left the room.

"Another concussion after he's just been over one."

"I know Murdock, let's just hope for the best."

There was fire in B.A.'s eyes as he asked, "What are we gonna do about this, Hannibal?"

"We're going to get even," Hannibal answered with conviction. "But I'm not going anywhere until Face wakes up. He needs to know we are with him."

Face wondered if he was dead. He remembered the bomb and subsequent blast. Unfortunately, he also remembered the intense pain from the impact of the ground. He could hear voices but couldn't understand what they were saying. He tried to move but he felt as if he were trapped inside of a cocoon. He tried to open his eyes but his eyelids were too heavy. Eventually he gave up and stopped trying.

It had been hours and still Face hadn't so much as twitched. Though they desperately wanted Face to open his eyes, they were terrified at what they would find when he did. They had all witnessed the abuse his body took from the explosion…was it too much? Would he know who they were? Would he know who he was? Would he still be their Face?

Hannibal looked at his two conscious men and saw the exhaustion written all over their faces and in their body language. "You two go get some food and catch a nap." Before they had a chance to argue he added, "And that's an order."

Murdock and B.A. knew better than to argue and reluctantly left the room, but not before taking a moment to themselves with Face.

Murdock knelt by the bed and stroked Face's hair. "You're going to be just fine, muchacho."

When it was B.A.'s turn he removed one of his chains and put it on top of Face's bandaged hand. "It's a cross, man." He then leaned over and kissed his forehead, something the others had not witnessed before.

Hannibal waited to be alone with Face before he let the tears fall. "C'mon, kid…come back to me."

Face had heard the words Murdock and B.A. said to him and now he could hear the colonel crying. He wanted so badly to wake up and tell him not to cry and that he was okay, but he still felt trapped inside of his body. It wasn't until what the colonel did next that he felt himself coming back to the surface.

Hannibal put his hand over one of his own, or at least it felt that way. Strangely he felt skin contact only at his fingers. The rest of his hand felt he was wearing gloves, which sure wasn't the case this time of year. He was so distracted thinking about his hand that he jumped at the contact of lips to his forehead, or he would have jumped if he had been able to move. Before he really had a chance to think about it he felt how Hannibal's tears were wetting his own forehead. He couldn't tell why but the soft touch of lips made him very emotional and he felt as if he was crying too, but he still felt so detached that he couldn't even tell if his own tears were real or not. He tried to compare the feeling of wetness on his forehead to the feeling of wetness on his cheeks and decided that his tears too were not real, he was dead to the world but he so desperately wanted to tell Hannibal that he was okay. It was so frustrating and unfair. And then Hannibal said it, at first he thought it was just his mind playing tricks but he said it again, just whispered words against his forehead but they were real.

"C'mon kid, come back to me son, I can't live without you."

"C'mon my son, you're strong, I know you are."

Face was yelling at the top of his lungs, yelling that he was okay, yelling out his frustration that now of all times, now that Hannibal had said what he had wanted to hear for so long, he couldn't talk and maybe would never get the chance to tell him how he feels.

"Urgh." Okay, that was a start, not exactly what he had said in his mind but at least there was some sound now. He felt odd, like drifting closer to the top of the ocean but running out of air fast. He needed to wake up and now.

"Face, c'mon Face, open your eyes, c'mon kid wake up, come back to me, please."

Another moan.

"C'mon Face, can you hear me? Say something kid."

He was close, so close but not yet there. Hannibal had removed his lips and he felt as if he was fighting against the water, fighting to not be pulled under again. In his mind he saw Hannibal through the water, he was waiting on top but the hand he had reached out for him was slowly pulling back and he couldn't grasp it.

Hannibal felt how his fingers twitched just a tiny bit and grabbed the hand in both of his. "C'mon son, c'mon open your eyes or say something, c'mon I need you."

The water was pulling him back under but suddenly Hannibal's hands shot down to him and he held on for dear life as Hannibal pulled him to the surface. The water was strong and it was slow going, Face was running out of air. But then Hannibal said it again, he called him son and all the water around him vanished. He just clung to Hannibal and would never let go again.

Suddenly Face's limp fingers closed around Hannibal's in a dead grip.

"Face, Face wake up kid."

"Han'bal."

It was just a whisper but it sounded like heaven in Hannibal's ears.

"I'm here kid, I'm here, open your eyes, c'mon."

His eyelids fluttered and then stopped. Hannibal feared he wouldn't wake up but then the fluttering started again and this time his eyes opened.

Hannibal's own eyes were full of tears, but this time tears of joy. "I'm so proud of you kid."

"Han'bal."

"I'm here kid, I'll always be there for you. You had us real scared boy."

Us? Face tried to move his head to see more but winced as daggers shot through his skull.

"Don't move yet, you have a concussion and are quite banged up."

The bomb shot in his memory and how he had told Edna to stay back.

"Edna?"

"She's fine, you saved her and the house, relax."

"Rest?"

"Yes, rest, you need rest."

"No."

"Sure you do. Just rest, we're here for you, you're safe."

"No, team."

"Oh okay, the rest of us. Sorry, they are all well, BA and Murdock are gone from the room to eat and sleep, I ordered them too, you were out for hours. We got Henry and Charles, they're with Edna and some neighbors to watch their premises. How do you feel?"

"Hurts."

"No wonder, let me go get the doctor." Hannibal hadn't even completed the sentence when he felt the hand around his own tightening even more.

"No"

"I just need to yell out the door kid, I won't even leave the room."

Face saw images of the water and how it would pull him under again once he lost contact to Hannibal. He tightened his grip even more, oblivious to the pain it was causing him.

Hannibal was at a loss. He didn't want to pry Face's hand away, especially when he looked into two scared eyes in front of him, but also needed to call the doc. He said he would be close and check in from time to time but he had just checked about fifteen minutes ago when BA and Murdock left. Hannibal removed one of his shoes with his free hand and threw it at the door with all his might, hoping to cause enough noise to be heard. Since nobody came he removed the second shoe and threw it. Just as it was about to make impact the door opened and the shoe hit the fast approaching doc in the chest.

"Ouch, what's going on here?"

"Sorry."

"Hey, you're up. That's good. Don't move, how do you feel?"

"Hurts."

"I'll give you something for the pain in a minute."

Face didn't object which made Hannibal feel uneasy.

The doc touched him at several places and asked if he felt it, made some more test and was satisfied with the results.

"Good, real good, I'll give you some pain meds and then I want you to rest more."

Face was exhausted and his eyes drifted shut before the meds were even injected in his IV but he kept his death grip on Hannibal.

"He's doing good, I would say he'll make a full recovery. I want you to think about moving to Charles' house. Now that he woke up and shows good signs we can risk the short transport. The police like to bring people here to be patched up and since Tyler is around the rate is increasing. I don't think it would be good if they met you."

"You're right. Just get him ready and I'll call my men back, then we're good to go."

Fifteen minutes later Hannibal, Murdock and B.A. stood outside Face's room as the colonel filled them in on what had transpired since they were gone.

"That's real good, man," B.A. smiled.

"Thank God…Billy and I were frantic." Murdock bent over and pet the air. "Weren't we boy?"

B.A. looked at Murdock mischievously and then pretended to throw something down the hall. "Hey Billy…fetch."

"B.A.! It will take me forever to get him back."

"'Xactly, fool."

Hannibal couldn't help but chuckle. "So the plan is to move Face to Edna and Charles' house to recover."

Murdock crossed his arms. "You think that's safe, colonel?"

"Why not?"

"'Cause them jerks that blew up Face are still out there."


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Hannibal slapped himself on the forehead. "How could I have forgotten that? I got so caught up in Face waking up that I forgot that we only got some of Tyler's men. I think it's time to take care of those worms as well as the big fish himself."

"What about Face?" Murdock asked.

"I'll ask Edna to stay with him in case he wakes up…they seem to have formed a special bond. Okay men…let's go fishing!"

Edna had been more than happy to sit with Face. Even though the doctor had given him the pain medication he was beginning to shift and moan in his sleep. Gradually it escalated until his eyes flew open and he looked around the room in a panic.

"Shh…it's okay…your safe, honey," Edna soothed.

"Edna?"

"Yes, I'm here…thanks to you."

"It …it…was…nothing," he said with a wan smile.

Edna snorted. "Sure…nothing. Going up against a bomb is something you do every day."

'If you only knew the half of it,' Face thought.

"Are you in much pain?"

On a scale of one to ten, Face was about a twenty. But he didn't want Edna to feel bad. "Hurts some, but I can take it."

Edna could hear the roughness in Face's voice. She stood and poured a glass of water. Placing the straw to his mouth she said, "Take it slow."

"Thanks."

They sat in silence for a few minutes before Edna said. "I bet your mother is real proud to have such a brave and caring son."

Face felt himself blush. His stomach twisted with the familiar anxiety of telling a stranger about his past. They would always look at him with pity and make some awkward comment about how sorry they were. "I…um…well…actually I grew up in a Catholic orphanage."

"Oh…"

'Here it comes,' Face braced himself.

"In that case, how lucky those priests and nuns were to have you."

Face felt tears come to his eyes; nobody had ever looked at it from that perspective.

Edna looked crestfallen. "I'm sorry…I didn't mean to upset you, hon."

"No…it's not that…it's…well…that was nice of you to say."

"I meant it, Face."

Face winced as his broken leg suddenly made itself known with a vengeance. Recovering quickly he said, "I'm not sure all of the nuns would agree with you…I could be quite a handful."

"Some things never change, huh?" Edna winked.

"Guess not," Face winked back.

They lapsed into a comfortable silence again, but Face was finding it harder and harder to focus. Between the concussion and the intensity of the pain he didn't know how much longer he could take it.

Edna could see that Face was suffering and felt helpless just sitting there. She was about to go for the doctor when the door opened and in came her husband.

"Hannibal just called…they got Tyler's men. It's all over. They said they will be back here as soon as possible."

Edna whooped with joy and even Face smiled brightly. That is until Face heard a familiar voice outside his door.

"Decker?" he gasped.

_'You wanna tell me you don't have another bed than this table? You can't leave him there.'_

Decker was practically shouting at the doctor and Face looked horrified.

"Who's Decker?" Edna whispered.

"Military police."

"The one hunting you?"

"No, that's Lynch, but he's an MP anyway and he knows me. For some reason he hates Hannibal and therefore all of us."

_'What about this room, or this?'_

_'This one's a storage and the other room is occupied by a patient and his family.'_

_'You mean to tell me this whole clinic has only one proper bed?'_

_'We're just a little country clinic, besides your man needs to be in a proper hospital.'_

"Edna, quick, bandage my face."

_'He's not ready for transport. Besides I never heard of a clinic no matter how small, with only one bed.'_

They heard the opening and closing of a door nearby.

_'I told you it's storage. No, you can't go there. I told you it's occupied. No…'_

"There's another free bed in there and you let my man suffer on that hard table? What kind of a doctor are you?"

"This room is occupied."

"I'm sure your patient wouldn't mind, he doesn't look like, sorry ma'am."

"Go ahead Frank, you don't have another bed and we don't want to see you in trouble."

"Colonel, my patient is very sick and needs peace and quiet, his family is with him at all times, I think your man would be better off at the table until he can be transported."

"Well, I don't think so."

They vanished from the room to appear minutes later with a gurney holding a moaning Captain Crane.

Edna had done a good job of covering Face's eyes so far with bandages that it shielded the movements of his eyes but allowed him to look out. Decker looked concerned and held Crane's hand until he stopped shifting in pain and had fallen asleep. Decker stood and run his hands through his short hair , then he turned towards the trio.

"I'm sorry for the intrusion. I'm Colonel Decker and this is Captain Crane. We were in a car accident, somehow. May I ask what happened to your son?"

"He was in an accident too. His leg is broken and he's all banged up and bruised, and his face, oh god his face…" She buried her head in Charles shoulder and let out a sob.

Face smiled inwardly. He could take lessons in acting from this woman.

"Why is he not in a proper hospital?"

"He hates hospitals and there's nothing they could do for him that Frank, I mean the doc, couldn't do. Sure he could have better pain medication there and not suffer too much but he's out of it most of the time anyway and the way he hates hospitals…he could never get well there." Charles supplied while holding onto Edna.

"It's the same for Captain Crane. Since Nam he hates hospitals with a vengeance, even the smell makes him sick. That's why I want to keep him out of the military hospital for as long as possible. I wouldn't also be able to sit with him all the time." Crane moaned and started to shift and Decker was at his side in an instant.

Oh great, Decker planed on a longer stay. Face was so tired but he tried to stay conscious. With the enemy so close he couldn't sleep.

Hannibal Murdock and BA had been on their way back to the clinic when they spotted the wrecked military vehicle outside. Hannibal crept closer to scout out the place and returned wearing a mask of concern.

"It's Decker, damn, how did he find us?"

"Looking at the state of the car maybe he needs a doctor."

"The way he's shouting around he should be fine. Murdock, stay here and watch, we'll get back to Henry, he can go inside without causing any suspicion."

About fifteen minutes later and under the watchful eye of three members of the A-Team Henry limped into the clinic.

"Hey mum, dad, how is he?"

"Your brother is sleeping now."

Face had indeed drifted off but woke up with a start as his leg made itself known. He gasped and still half asleep tried to reach for it before letting out a cry of pain at the sudden movement.

"Easy there Fa..Faruk. Don't move, you've been in an accident, remember?"

Face stilled and couldn't help but drift off again.

Decker had also dosed and jumped up at Face's cry.

"Sorry, I'm Henry, Faruk's elder brother."

"Faruk?"

"Yeah, strange, I know. Mum had that crash on the Indian actor when she was pregnant with him. I'm only glad her love for Japanese films didn't get the better of her when she had me."

"Henry!"

"Sorry mum. He's doing better, is he?"

"Not really, he's still in a lot of pain and doesn't get the rest he needs. It's the pain keeping him up." It was rather his fear of Decker finding out that kept him up more than he should but right then he was out like a light.

"I'm going to see some friends. Tell Faruk I love him."

Henry supplied the information to the team and they were relieved Face wasn't in any immediate danger. They set up a pattern for one man to watch the clinic while the other two holed up at the family's home. Murdock took the first shift and Henry went to see if he could catch some small town gossip.

BA, who was yet to repair the van, went to the garage to get busy. That's where Henry found them later on, BA building and Hannibal smoking and looking in thoughts.

"Apparently they parked the car off the roadside and got out. Crane stood at the hood going over a map when the ground under him and the car gave out. He fell into a hole and the front of the car crashed down on him. Seems he was extremely lucky to just suffer any number of broken ribs and internal and external bruising. Could as well have been dead or paralyzed. He's in a lot of pain but it looks as if he'll recover fully."

"A hole?"

"Yeah, the ground just gave in and he was in a hole."

"The ground doesn't just give in, something here stinks."

"Yeah man, your cigars."

"BA, I've been thinking. Why should somebody bully people into buying wells?"

"Dunno, cause he's a jerk?"

"There must be more to it. I have a feeling that we got all the jerks but not the brain behind. Looks to me like someone is out on a treasure hunt, don't you think? Go release Murdock, I want to see that hole. Henry, be careful, whoever blew up Face could come back. I think he has to get some more muscles first but you never know. Murdock will be with you shortly."

Face woke some hours later. This time it wasn't pain that brought him around but a full bladder. He was in a dilemma here. He didn't want to risk talking since Decker would recognize his voice but he also knew his time was limited. He started to shift uneasy and hoped someone would get the hint. Ironically that somebody was Decker who alerted the nurse of his suspicions.

Face wanted to scream as the catheter was inserted, but again he didn't want to risk even that. So he gritted his teeth and tried to focus on breathing in and out through his nose. As the pressure was released he felt much better and could have kissed Decker if he wasn't…well…Decker.

Face heard a beeping sound followed by a commotion.

_'What's going on,' Decker demanded._

_'His pressure is dropping…rapidly,' said a nurse._

_'Damn,' the doctor cursed. 'Get him to the procedure room, stat.'_

_'Will somebody tell me what is going on?' Decker bellowed._

_'You have to wait here, sir.'_

Face listened as Edna consoled the very man that had made his life miserable for years. In fact, Decker sounded so upset that he even started feeling badly for the colonel.

_The doctor's voice was back. 'Colonel Decker, I'm afraid that the Captain is bleeding internally.'_

_'What!? I thought you said it was just bruises?' Decker sounded pissed._

_'That's what we thought from the initial scan, but there was a small tear that we missed and…"_

_'And what are you doing about it?'_

_The doctor sounded nervous. 'That's the problem, colonel. He needs blood and…um…well…"_

_Decker was getting even louder. 'And what?'_

_'Well, Captain Crane is Type O…and we don't seem to have any of his blood type.'_

_'Isn't any other kind compatible?'_

_'I'm afraid not…Type O can only take Type O.'_

Face's stomach clenched. 'I have Type O blood,' he thought.

_'What happens if he doesn't get that blood?'_

_"Well Colonel, I'm afraid he might not pull through.'_

_"Might not pull through…dear God."_

Face knew what he had to do; he couldn't just lie there and let a man die when he knew he had the ability to save him. He had killed enough men in Nam and vowed to never take another life again. He took a deep breath before announcing, "I have Type O blood."


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

The room was silent and for a moment Face wondered if he had even said the words out loud.

"It can't be…," Decker started.

"Edna, would you do the honors?" Face asked.

"Sure, honey," Edna said and then began to undo the bandages on his face. "You're doing the right thing," she whispered.

"Peck."

"Decker," Face sighed, as they looked each other in the eye.

"You…you…"

"Never thought I would see you speechless. You can arrest me later, Crane needs some liquids."

"I'm afraid that's not gonna happen, sorry Face, you reviled yourself for nothing. You can't give blood."

"Why not doc, I have the right type."

"And lost a good amount of it from your cut and other injuries. You're weak and dizzy and would endanger yourself, besides you're on meds."

"He needs it or he's gonna die, he'll have to live with the meds."

"As it is your iron and hemoglobin is too low, you risk shock and organ problems, I'm here to help people, not get them in trouble. We have him on liquids right now and I called for emergency transport to the next hospital."

"That's not gonna do, right?"

"Most likely not. His chances are higher if I do surgery and close the hole. But not without blood."

"Then what are we waiting for, I'll take the risk."

"Face…"

"You heard the man, move it."

"For once I agree with you Decker."

Dr. Hendriks sight, he didn't want to risk Face's health but also wanted to help Crane. He went back to prepare for surgery telling his nurse to get Face ready. He was transferred to a gurney and the urine bag for the catheter placed on top of him.

'If I had known this I could have talked earlier and saved myself from this pain, then again, having someone push my dick in a bottle anytime I need to go is not much more appealing.'

Crane looked bad as Face was placed on a table next to him.

"We'll work as fast as possible. Putting you on liquids now will lower the concentration of hemoglobin even more and not help Crane at all. We'll transfer some of your blood but at the first sign of trouble we'll stop and give you liquids. I won't take any more risk, I don't like it as it is."

They started and after a short time Face was having problems to focus but didn't say anything. Crane needed the blood and he was facing life in prison anyway. But to his dismay the nurse noticed just a short time later and called an end to the transfusion.

"No, he needs it."

"And you do too. The doc is almost done, you helped him a lot, now it's up to him."

The last thing Face saw was her hanging up an IV bag. When he woke up again he was still next to Crane and Decker was there too.

"Did he pull through?"

"So far it looks promising. You scared that poor nurse though. Stubborn as always."

"What now?"

"Transport will be here soon."

They lapsed into silence.

"Peck, how bad off are you? I mean before the transfusion."

"You can take your time decorating my cell, I'll be in military hospital for a while yet."

"What happened?"

"A bomb happened. Some jerk wanted to blow up the family's home. I took it and threw it but wasn't fast enough in getting away."

"Why did you do it?"

"Didn't you listen? Their house would have blown up."

"No, I mean Crane."

"Needed help."

There was some more silence before Decker spoke up again.

"The face injury was a lie, how about the rest of the bandages?"

"Unfortunately neither my hands nor my legs are of any use right now and I have no means to get away from you. I guess you figured that out already since I'm not shackled. At least I can't feel any shackles."

"You didn't look like running away anytime soon. Actually, you look like crap."

"Thanks."

Decker stepped closer to him. "They should be here any minute now. Doc said something about not moving you yet not wanting to start any reaction in your organs from moving or so, I didn't really understand. Said he ordered for them to bring blood along and plans to have you and Crane on a transfusion before any transport."

" 'kay." Face was quiet, not only from the weakness he felt but also because of his future looming ahead.

Decker grabbed a roll of bandages and started unwrapping it. "So, Faruk, I think it's time to cover your face, I don't think it would be fair to scare the rescue team away by your awful appearance. " Decker started to wrap up Face's head as Edna had done before.

"Why…why are you doing this?"

"You saved Crane, wouldn't be fair to take you in. Besides I want the whole Team and not just you, well…and your so called mother and father almost tore me into pieces back in the other room threatening to call off the transfusion if I didn't promise to leave you alone. But don't get any wrong ideas, I consider us even after that."

Face was overwhelmed, from what Edna and Charles had done for him as well as what Decker just did, but didn't trust Decker too much, he didn't trust anybody but least of all Decker. He vowed to stay awake until he was gone but exhaustion claimed him before the transport team even arrived.

It wasn't long after Face had drifted off that Decker began to get an odd feeling in the pit of his stomach; the feeling he got before something bad was about to go down. He had been feeling it on and off for a couple of weeks but chalked it up to the stress of the job and needing a vacation. 'Pull yourself together, Rod,' he chastised himself.

But still he couldn't shake the sensation, until a short while later when he was distracted by a moaning Face.

"Peck? You okay?"

Face was shaking so bad that even his voice vibrated as he said, "Don't…don't feel…so…so good."

"What is it, son?"

"Hurts…dizzy…hard to…breathe."

"Hang in there…I'm going to get the doctor." But before he had the chance to even take a step the lights began to flicker until the room went pitch black. "What in the…"

There was the sound of a door locking followed by a voice. "Don't move, Decker. I've waited a long time for this moment."

Murdock sat watch outside of the hospital. Nobody had come or gone by the time B.A. rolled up to get him. Just as he was about to get inside, however, another military car pulled up next to the wrecked one.

"Hey B.A., I think we better hold up a minute and see what's going on."

They watched as a familiar figure exited the vehicle.

"Aw man, that ain't who I think it is…is it?"

"Sure is…but what is he doing here?"

B.A. shrugged. "I better call Hannibal."

Hannibal was stunned into silence as B.A. filled him in. "Jenkins? As in Crazy Colonel Jenkins?"

"Yeah, man. And get this…he in full uniform and driving a military car."

"Damn! I think maybe we've been following the wrong trail. Maybe the buck did stop with Tyler…and Jenkins is the one who caused Decker's accident."

"What you want us to do, colonel?"

"Hold tight…I'm on my way."

"Right."

B.A. and Murdock watched as Jenkins entered the hospital a few minutes later.

"I don't like this…Jenkins is as crazy as you," B.A. said rubbing at his beard.

"Crazier," Murdock corrected. "That's why he was stripped of his title a few years back…rumor had it that Jenkins just lost it."

"But I wonder why he's here now…and what Decker and Crane have to do with it."

"I don't know…but I do know that Face is inside with both of them."

B.A. heaved a sigh. "And without us."

Face was temporarily distracted from his pain as he listened to the heated discussion.

_"Colonel Jenkins?" Decker asked._

_"The one and only. Except I'm not a colonel anymore…you saw to that."_

_"Look, Jenkins. That wasn't my fault…"_

_"The hell it wasn't, Rod!"_

_"I had no choice but to report what you were doing…it was wrong."_

_"It doesn't much matter now…I'm going to make you pay."_

_"At least let Crane and this other man go. It's me you want and they are too sick to be of any threat."_

'Wanna make a bet,' Face thought but actually he was still shaking from the pain and found it hard to get enough air in, maybe Decker was right for once. Damn, he hurt all over and now it looked like it was going to stay like that for a while. At least with the room dark he didn't see double anymore.

_"You want them to go, always the good Samaritan are you? Okay boys, you can go now…oh, nobody's moving, seems they wanna go down with you Decker."_

_"You son of a…do they look like moving on their own?"_

_"Well, it's kinda dark in here, I can't tell."_

"Wait here fool, I'm going to check what's happening, maybe the Faceman needs our help."

BA walked like a shadow and crept close to the entrance before slipping in in one fluid movement. He saw the doc and the nurse cowering behind the receptionist desk and went over to get information. At least now he knew that Face was in one room with Decker, Jenkins and Crane and Edna and Charles were seemingly safe in the other. He continued on to the door and listened to Decker and Jenkins exchanging heated words.

Face found it odd that Decker would fight with Jenkins instead of trying to calm him but then again this was Crazy Jenkins and calming him down was probably not an option. Decker needed to get the upper hand and wrestle him down, but with Jenkins probably holding a gun and the darkness in the room that was tricky. He weighed his options to get to Decker's help but found it hard to concentrate enough to think, let alone move. The only thing he could think of was creating a distraction. He didn't need to think long the distraction came naturally as another spasm of pain went through his legs and he let out a piercing scream of pain.

BA heard the scream and wanted to go in but then again he didn't know if Decker had figured out who Face was. It didn't sound like anyone hurt him, was probably just the pain he was feeling from all his injuries. BA didn't want to blow his cover if not necessary and decided to wait.

Decker was at Face's side in a flash. "What is it?"

"Hurts….damn…stop." Inside he thought 'Decker you're stupid, now of all times you develop a human side, use the distraction to get Jenkins.'

"He needs meds, Jenkins. Let's move somewhere together and allow the doc to get in here."

"No way." Jenkins moved closer to the door to block it. "We gotta talk, and then I'll kill you."

Face was withering in pain now and didn't even try to hold the next scream back.

BA had heard enough and most important, had heard the goon move in front of the door. He couldn't let Face be in such pain no matter if he blew his cover or not. He took a step back and used all his weight to kick in the door, taking down Jenkins in the process. He followed with a nice blow to the head and Jenkins was out like a light without even knowing what had hit him. BA wasted no time to get to Face.

"How you doing Faceman?"

"Hurts…make stop…please."

"Baracus"

"No worry Faceman, doc will give you something in no time."

"Baracus, I don't believe it."

"I don't have time for your jibber jabber Decker, go get the doc and then tie this one up."

Decker didn't argue but as soon as Jenkins was tied up they heard a helicopter outside.

"Transport, Baracus, get in the closet there."

"What?"

"Do as I say, you wouldn't want to blow Peck's cover."

"What?"

"Don't stand around here. I owe him one and probably you too for rescuing us from Jenkins, but that's a one time thing." He turned away from BA and back to Face. "How is he doc?"

"In a bad way and he won't improve until he gets blood. I hope they brought enough for both of them. "

Hannibal had arrived just before the transport team but now they could do nothing than watch and pray. The number of military crawling around down there made them feel uneasy but they couldn't do a thing.

Hannibal used the time to think and after a while announced to Murdock, "I think my assumption was wrong. How would Jenkins know where Decker would drive off the road to stop and where he had to dig a hole? That would be too much of a coincidence, no, there's still something going on here and it's not just selling wells."

His suspicions were confirmed when instead of going into the clinic; the men than came out of the chopper blocked the doors and stationed themselves around the perimeter.

"Just what is going on here?" Hannibal asked out loud.

"A whole lot of bad, colonel," Murdock replied. "That isn't a military chopper."

Hannibal furrowed his brow. "Huh?"

"Take a close look…what do you see missing?"

"Damn! No numbers…"

"Bingo…meaning that there is no way for it to be tracked."

Hannibal reached for a cigar on instinct; it helped him think and if ever he needed to think it was now.

"What is taking so long with the transport officers?" Decker asked as he watched the doctor examine Crane.

"He's doing surprisingly well; vitals are still not as strong as I would like, but are much improved. He's a very lucky man."

'Lucky because of Peck,' Decker thought; the irony was almost too much. He looked down at Face who now had silent tears streaming from his eyes. He could see that the younger man was trying so hard to be strong. He suspected a part of the reason for that was that he didn't want to show weakness in front of the man that had been hunting him and his team for years.

It hit him suddenly and hard; the idea that maybe he was wrong. Maybe the A-Team really weren't the bad guys? Maybe they had been convicted falsely? All those stories about how they helped innocent people…and now the way Peck had willingly saved Crane to his own detriment…it had to mean something.

That nagging feeling that something was wrong came back with a vengeance, and he began to pace.

Face, too, was getting a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach. He knew it was serious because he felt it in spite of all the rest of his pains. What happened next seemed to go down in slow motion. The door opened and in walked the nurse…there was something different about her, but Face couldn't place it. But then she pulled a syringe out of her pocket and headed for Decker who was looking in the opposite direction.

"Decker…watch out!" Face exclaimed as loud as he could.

Decker spun and caught the nurse's arm just before she was about to impale him with the needle. His years of military training kicked in and he spun her around and twisted her arm behind her back. "Doc, get the syringe."

The doctor was still stunned by the turn of events and it took him a few moments to respond. He retrieved the device and promptly disposed of it inside of the hazardous material bin.

B.A. who had exited the closet upon hearing Face's cry assisted Decker in tying the unknown lady up next to Jenkins. "What the hell is goin' on, man?"

Decker shook his head. "Damn if I knew, Baracus. But all I do know is that Peck came to the rescue again."

B.A. turned to look at his friend and didn't like what he saw; if he had looked bad before, now he looked absolutely awful. He needed help and fast.

"What's them guys with the chopper taking so long to get in here?" Before BA had finished the sentence they heard gunfire erupt, but not inside, it was outside the building. And they heard another chopper, or was it the first one taking off again? That couldn't be, they were needed.

"I…they…they forced me." Sobbed the nurse on the ground.

"What you talking about?"

"They…when they heard the Millers and their son, I mean Edna and Charles, were here….they…they kidnapped Jim. They forced me."

"Easy lil mama, who's them and who's Jim?"

"They, I don't know. They only call. On my mobile. Jim is my boyfriend."


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

The nurse was clearly scared and didn't make much sense. Decker knelt by her head.

"Slow down and give us the whole story."

"They kidnapped Jim and told me to inform them about everything that's going on here. I didn't tell them that it's not Henry. I know the Millers for a long time but never knew of this second son, I figured either he's the trouble and they want him, after all there must be a reason why they're hiding him, or it's the wrong one. In that case it wouldn't do Jim any good if they knew the wrong Miller son is here. Then I called them that Colonel Decker and Crane were here. He laughed and said this is even getting better. I didn't understand what it meant. When Colonel Decker called the transport team I called them and informed them and they said they will send a chopper of their own. Then this lunatic here came and a short while later the chopper landed. They didn't come inside but after a while called me to ask if Jenkins had succeeded. I said I don't know and was sent to check and inject Decker with a sedative in case Jenkins didn't have the upper hand. Now I don't know what's going on."

"You're not the only one here. Baracus check if you can find out what's going on outside, I'm going to check on the Millers. Doc, you stay here and make sure those two get the best care you can offer."

Before Hannibal could get down to thinking straight another chopper appeared, this time one with numbers. The men outside the clinic hid behind the chopper and some bushes. As soon as the other helicopter came in reach they opened fire and after some rounds had hit the target it was forced to move out of striking distance again. At first Hannibal thought it would leave but then the military chopper returned fire and was soon getting the upper hand.

"Seems we stumbled about something big here Murdock."

It was less than 15 minutes later that the 'fake' military knew they were overmatched and retreated to their own chopper. The 'real' military transport crew temporarily gave chase but then circled back to complete their original mission.

"What do we do, colonel?"

"As much as I want to get in there, I think it best we stay put. If B.A. and Face are taken captive they are going to need us on the outside to get them out."

"I don't like it…Face is hurt real bad and needs us."

Hannibal put his hand on Murdock's shoulder and gave it a sympathetic squeeze. "I know, but at least he has B.A….he'll take care of Face."

As B.A. watched the two helicopters battle he had only one thing on his mind: getting Face the medical attention he needed. 'I'll even fly in one of them things if I hafta,' he thought. As soon as the fire had ceased and men were heading his way he ran to find Decker who had brought the Millers with him to check on Face.

"They comin' in."

"Who?"

B.A. paused. "They dressed like military, but I'm not bettin' on anythin' to be the way it looks these days."

Decker put his hands on his hips. "Okay, Baracus, back in the closet." He turned to the Millers. "You too, until we know it's safe."

B.A. stood solid. "What about Face?"

"He needs to be transported."

"I ain't lettin' him go alone."

"He won't be alone…he'll have me."

B.A. snorted. "Yeah, and that makes me feel so much better."

Face reached his arm out toward B.A. ignoring the pain in his sprained wrist. "B.A….please…hide. I…I'm okay."

"Faceman…"

"Baracus, we don't have time for this…move it."

B. his eyes not sure what to do. "Ain't you at least gonna cover his face again?" He was looking at the bandages that lay in a pile after the doc had cut them off to be able to check on Face properly.

"No time…besides they'll find out sooner or later."

Face smiled at his long time friend. "Besides, why ….cover perfection." B.A. rolled his eyes, but in an affectionate manner. "Now go."

"You take care Faceman…we'll get you soon."

"I know…you guys need me." Face was trying to be brave, but what he really wanted was to go hide in the closet with the sergeant.

"More than you'll ever know, man." B.A. said while reluctantly walking into the closet followed by Edna and Charles.

Decker held his breath as the door finally opened. It wasn't until he recognized the men as their own that he allowed himself to exhale.

Hannibal and Murdock watched as two stretchers were carried to the chopper followed closely by Decker.

"Colonel, they're moving Face!" Murdock said in a panic.

"And I don't see B.A." Hannibal added.

"We have to do something…we can't just let them go."

Hannibal didn't like it anymore than Murdock. "Captain, we're severely under armed and outnumbered."

"But…"

"But it isn't a risk I'm willing to take…we can't help Face from behind bars."

"All due respect, Hannibal, but I disagree." Murdock's tone was anything but respectful.

Hannibal balled his hands into fists hating what he was about to say to the pilot. "And I didn't ask your opinion…now stand down."

"Yes, sir," Murdock sighed slouching down in his seat miserably.

They waited until the rest of the military that had arrived with the chopper had taken a still unconscious Jenkins and what looked like the nurse of the small clinic into the Sedan Jenkins had come with and driven off before they made their way down the hill they were hiding on and into the clinic. Inside they found a distraught looking Edna and Charles that were holding onto each other and a not much better looking BA trying to console them. The doc was on the phone instructing the military hospital Face and Crane were on their way to, about their injuries and the treatment he had started.

"BA?"

"Decker took him along promising to take care. He was in a real bad way man."

Murdock snorted, "I can imagine the kind of care Decker will take."

"He seemed sincere after Face had rescued him and Crane, and I didn't have any choice in the matter."

"Face did what?"

BA filled them in about everything that had gone down with Edna and Charles filling the gaps. By the time he finished the doctor just entered the room and all eyes went to him.

"I can't tell you anything, they haven't even arrived yet."

"How bad was he?"

"Bad. Donating his blood wasn't a good idea and I told him so but he insisted. It saved the other ones life though, but I'm unsure about the price. If he had stayed here his chances would have been…maybe 50/50 at best. He needed to be in a proper hospital where he can be sedated and monitored and where he has access to heavy drugs. There wasn't even time to give him blood to stabilize him for the transport. They started the transfusion and continued in the chopper. Right now all we can do is hope and pray but once he doesn't develop any complications during the transport I'm sure he'll get the best care and make a full recovery."

"Yeah, to make a fit and healthy prison inmate."

Hannibal ignored Murdock and went on asking questions. "What kind of complications are you talking about?"

"His hemoglobin was very low and I couldn't get it up without blood. If his organs don't get enough oxygen they could stop working, any of them."

"How high is the risk?"

"Can't tell."

"Decker promised to keep in touch through the doc." BA had an arm around Murdock's shoulder as he said it.

They all settled in to wait but after a while Hannibal started pacing and brought out a cigar. It took over six hours until the phone rang and then it was just for a short "Transport went well." from Decker before the line was dead again.

Hannibal was the first to get his emotions under control. "Okay men, Face is taken care off. We have a kidnapped Jim to look for and get to the root of this well digging. Let's set to work. Edna, Charles, I want you to stay with the doc for the mean time, we'll get Henry too, you're safer here. Keep us informed as soon as you hear from Face."

Murdock shot him an odd look but deep down he knew Hannibal was right. They couldn't do anything for Face from there and he needed medical attention. They could however help those people and that would be what Face would do too.

As soon as the chopper arrived at the hospital both patients were taken to intensive care. Decker positioned himself inside the room Crane and Face had been settle in after a thorough check from the doctors, claiming that he had caught Peck and he wasn't about to let anyone else guard him. He had escaped often enough in the past and he was going to see to it that this time he would get behind bars, where he belonged.

"I would usually ask you to sit guard in front of the room but in this case, hell he's sedated anyway and can hardly complain about rules and regulations. What the hell happened to him, there's hardly a spot on him that's intact."

"I don't know more than you. It was a coincidence that he was at the clinic, the team must have left him there. They're in for a surprise if they want to pick him up. When can I talk to him?"

"I'm going to keep him under for at least the next 24 hours to give his body rest, after that we'll see."

B.A. was concerned as he watched Murdock pacing and talking to himself . Finally he approached Hannibal who had been trying to take his mind off of Face by scouring the area looking for any signs of Jim and his captors.

"Colonel, Murdock ain't handlin' this so well."

"I know…and I don't blame him. I feel like we just left Face."

B.A. lowered his mohawked head in shame. "I'm sorry, man."

"No…no, B.A. I didn't mean that as an attack against you. You had no choice…none of us did. But it doesn't make it easier."

"No…no it don't."

Hannibal patted B.A. on his broad back. "I'll talk to Murdock. He'll be okay."

"It's just that he and Face are real close." B.A. smirked. "Sometimes I wonder if they weren't really brothers in another life."

"I've often wondered about that with the three of you…you all have a special connection." Hannibal almost felt jealous at times…being some years older he sometimes felt out of place.

"We_ all_ have a special bond…and you the glue."

Hannibal beamed and the two of them walked towards Murdock and the job at hand.

It had been a long wait for Decker who only left the room to use the bathroom or get another cup of coffee. He was relieved when Crane woke up a few hours after they had arrived; it was the first time he was fully conscious since the accident.

"How're you feeling, Captain?"

"M'not sure," Crane answered weakly. "Can't feel too much."

Decker smiled. "That's because they have you doped pretty strongly. You're going to be just fine."

Crane looked to the bed next to him. "You're not kidding about the drugs…for a minute I thought that was Templeton Peck next to me."

"It is," Decker responded simply.

"Huh?" If Crane was pale before, now he was three shades lighter.

Decker pulled a chair up closer to his long time captain and friend's bed. "And that's not the best part…he saved your life." He went on to explain all that had happened since their car fell into the hole. "And now Peck is pretty bad off. There's a chance he might not even pull through."

"Why? Why did he do it?"

Decker shook his head. "I asked myself the same thing over and over again. I've spent years hating a man who in a matter of minutes was able to make me question everything. Hell, I think I even like the guy!"

"I think it's the drugs again…you just said you liked Peck."

Decker chuckled, but sobered very quickly. "He saved your life, but it's the way he did it; without any regard for himself whatsoever. It goes against everything his image has portrayed."

"So what happens now?"

Decker sighed. "I assume that you'll be moved out of ICU soon, but that Peck will remain here as my prisoner." Crane's eyes widened. "Don't worry…I promised I would take care of him and I will."

Sure enough, the captain was taken to a regular room within the hour leaving Decker and Face alone. After almost 23 hours, close to the same number of coffees, and a couple of cat naps, Decker saw the first signs of life from Face. But what he saw nearly broke his heart. He was clearly in the throes of a nightmare, although he was too weak to move much the moans and the way he threw his head here and there and the way his hands moved as if trying to fend off an imaginary enemy made it clear. Decker watched unsure of what to do. The mumbling became clearer and with time he could make out words, Vietnamese words but spoken in a childlike manner. Decker knew Face was an orphan but that was all he knew about his past. Now it seemed to him as if he mixed his childhood with Nam, maybe he thought he was one of the numerous orphans they had come across in Nam, some of them used by the Vietcong to fight or simply as bait. As Decker watched and contemplated what it could be Face dreamed about, the object of his thoughts got more and more agitated. He felt he had to do something before he hurt himself more and stepped closer. Some of the machines he was connected too had already started to give warning tones.

"Peck, wake up, you're dreaming."

No reaction.

"Peck, come on, wake up." He reached out and touched Face's shoulder to rouse him.

Face's eyes didn't open but his hands shot forward and he kicked out both legs to fend off his attacker. As soon as his hands made contact with Decker he howled in pain and brought them back, cradling them to his chest. His legs had also come to rest at an angle and felt like on fire. The pain brought him out of his dream and he opened his eyes. He saw Decker looming over him and he was so shocked that he let out a cry and scrambled upwards in the bed, resulting in another scream of pain. The next thing he felt were a thousand hands at him.

"Damn, what took you so long."

"He's not the only patient. Calm down Mr. Peck, you just had a dream, all is well."

'All is well? Decker is here and you're holding me down, and where is here anyway? And why do I hurt so much?' Face's mind was racing and then it slowly came back to him. Decker had taken him along, he had promised to take care of him but with what result Face was not sure. Make him well to send him off to prison? He was still in a hospital, there was hope that the team would come for him. He calmed a little just to feel the full extent of his pains. His hands were burning, as was his legs. His head throbbed fiercely and his abdomen, especially the lower part, was on fire. He tried to curl up but was held down.

"You have to stay still, we'll give you something for the pain, just don't move."

He wanted to object to the drugs but all that came out was a moan. Face's mind still wasn't clear due to the effects the sedative had on him. He registered them injecting him with something and then hands pulling him back down in bed and stretching out his arms and legs. It hurt like hell despite whatever they had shot him up with and by the time he was stretched out he was whimpering in pain unable to hold the sounds in. This time they secured him with Velcro straps and then set to work to replace the cables he had ripped off with his sudden movements. A new IV line was started since he had ripped out the old one but luckily hadn't caused much damage. Then they left him alone. He was feeling cold but they didn't cover him and he didn't understand why.

The doctor in charge turned to a male nurse. "He pulled his catheter, it's halfway out. You have to set a fresh one."

Someone talked but the words didn't register with Face again, he was in too much pain to concentrate. A man stepped up by his side with gloves and something in hand. Somebody else lifted his already way too short hospital gown and the man made a move. As Face noticed just where the unknown man intended to touch him he bucked and struggled wildly against his restrains and all alarms on the machines surrounding him went off. He never even felt the prick of the needle as he was sedated again.

"Damn, I didn't want to sedate him again so soon, now I can't do any tests." The doctor scratched his beard and turned to his two colleagues present in the room. "He was weak and disoriented, I don't like his vitals, his pulse is way too fast and his temperature is up. Now, it could be the struggle but it could as well be a lingering infection. The cut in his hand didn't look to good and his belly also shows signs of irritation. We'll better start him on broadband antibiotics, just in case."

"Doctor, I don't want to intervene but I know his file says he's not doing too well with most sedatives, antibiotics and pain meds."

"I read it too Colonel Decker but the information is old and not very precise. The way he reacted in a field hospital in Nam can be very different from a well established hospital here. Besides the meds have improved in the past decade and side effects have been reduced. We monitor him closely. I just can't risk him getting an infection, he isn't strong enough to fight one off now."

"Hannibal I don't like this. It's more than a day and Decker hasn't called again. What if something bad has happened?"

"I don't like it either captain but we just have to wait."

"How can we just stand here and wait, by all you know they are pumping him full of drugs and he has nightmares and is sick like a dog and we're not there and…."

"Murdock, calm down. He's in good hands, he gets all the medical attention he needs."

"But he's alone. He's among strangers, how can he heal when he doesn't feel safe?"

"Right now he needs a hospital and much as I would want to sit by his side it's not possible."

"He needs us, we have to get him."

"And do what? This place will be crawling with police sooner or later. Do you want to drag him around from one hideout to the next? Or do you want to abandon the job and leave those people here to their own mercy? We can't help him now but we can very well help Jim and those folks here. Whoever has Jim may want to dispose off him because now that the nurse is arrested and they can't get information he's of no more value. We have to find him and fast and so far we have no clue. Pull it together Murdock, Face would want you too. Just a few days."


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

BA returned to the clinic just that moment. "Any word from Face?"

"Nothing. Did you find anything? We came back empty handed."

"Three people told me they had seen Tyler driving into the forest which was uncharacteristic for him before this whole well selling started. Maybe he's meeting his business partner there."

"Too bad all of the goons are behind bars, I would like to chat with them."

"Maybe there's a way we can arrange that," B.A. started.

"What are you talking about, big guy. We already have one team member just about as good as locked up."

"Yeah…I know that, man. But you ain't a wanted man really, and you been on lots of scams with the Faceman."

Hannibal smiled brightly. 'B.A., you're a genius he thought.' Not only would this possibly get them more information, it would also keep Murdock's worried mind occupied. "I bet you could go in there dressed in uniform and arrange to extradite one of those creeps to another prison."

B.A. nodded and pounded his fists together. "Yeah…the B.A. Baracus correctional facility."

Murdock looked skeptical. "I don't know…"

Hannibal clapped him on the back. "But I do…and you'll be great!"

"What we waitin' for…let's hit it."

Within' the hour Murdock was dressed in a police officer's uniform he found stashed in a trunk of costumes Face kept in the back of the van. As they parked down the street from the jail, his heart was doing flip-flops and he wished that Face was there by his side. As he walked down the street, however, he could feel his nervous energy being turned into determination.

It all went down so fast; he walked in there telling some cock-and-bull story about how Zeke Stone was wanted in his county and they actually bought it. Zeke's protests that it was all a set up fell on deaf ears and less than fifteen minutes later they were headed back to the van.

"What…what are you going…to do with me?" Zeke stuttered.

Murdock stopped and slid the van door open. "I wouldn't worry about what I'm going to do with you…but you see the big muscular guy up front?" B.A. smiled an evil grin. "_He_ I would worry about."

They could all hear the loud gulp as Zeke swallowed hard.

Decker was still sitting by Face's side when he once more stirred a couple of hours later. Again he appeared to be having a nightmare, but this time his words were in English.

"I'm sorry, sister. Please don't…no…ow…it wasn't my fault…please."

Decker was about to call for the doctors again when Face's eyes popped open. He didn't like the way they were glassed over or the fear he saw in those fast moving eyes before they slowly focused on him.

'Hospital, she did beat me so bad that I'm in a hospital this time, where is she…no, Decker? Oh right, a dream, Decker, military hospital.'

"How are you feeling Peck?"

How was he feeling? He took stock of his body and noticed a burning sensation in his privates, seemingly going inside. The panic was back in a flash, the stranger with the rubber gloves, he had hurt him, raped him.

Flight instincts kicked in but this time Decker was ready and held him at both shoulders, firmly pressing down. The restraints were also helping in immobilizing Face but Decker couldn't help but notice that despite the obvious panic Face didn't move much, he was far too weak to do so. Even without the restraints and him holding him down he would probably not have been able to scramble up the bed as he had done before.

"Calm down Peck and try not to move, you wouldn't want to rip that catheter out again, would you?"

'Catheter? Rip it out? The nurse at the clinic, it had hurt like hell. No rape then? No rape.' The rest of the energy left him together with the panic and he was laying there boneless. He felt drained and the dizziness was bad. 'They probably have me doped up on whatever drugs they could find.'

"Han'bal?"

"Smith's not here."

'Decker? Oh, yeah, why was his mind so fuzzy?'

His stomach joined in on the fun and did some rollercoaster imitation.

"Gonna….gonna…."

He wanted to turn to his side but was barely able to turn his head before the retching started. There wasn't much inside to come out but the pain was terrible, especially on his abdomen, and the bile burned in his throat.

Decker called for the doctor but there wasn't anything he could do other than wait it out and let the nurse clean him and the bed afterwards. That in itself was terrible on him again because it included being moved and only helped to aggravate his injuries. Face was shaking like a leaf from the strain and from exhaustion. He was beyond recognizing what was going on around him.

"He has a bad reaction to the drugs, either one or several of them. I can't stop the antibiotics if they're supposed to do their job. He has to complete at least four more days, an infection would most likely be fatal in his state. Sedatives are usually milder in terms of side effects than strong painkillers. I have him on a relatively mild painkiller, I was going to introduce him to a heavy one in exchange for the sedative but seeing the effect of the drugs he's on and the way he's out of it I want to change course and rather stick with the mild one plus the sedative. Being awake is not helping him anyway. Since he's your prisoner you can object."

"No, it sounds good. For how long will you put him under? I want to go change clothes and clean up."

"It's difficult to say since he's weak. My guess is four to eight hours, but the four hours is a minimum. The eight hours can be extended depending on his reaction and how much sleep his body adds."

Decker waited until Face was out before he ordered for a guard. "Lieutenant Barnes, I put you in charge of watching this prisoner. I want you to position yourself outside the door. Don't let anyone enter other than me, the doctor or the nurse. They have been introduced to you by person and any change in shift will be announced."

"What about Colonel Lynch and his men? He's in charge of hunting down the A-Team."

"Especially not Lynch, he has let those men escape once too often. I caught Peck and I don't want Lynch anywhere near him before he's secured in a holding cell in a high security facility."

"Yes sir."

Decker left and got to a car that had been brought to the hospital for him. He stopped at a phone booth and called the clinic before continuing to his home.

"I don't know anything else, please, I swear."

"BA, put him down, I think he's telling the truth."

With a little help from BA Zeke had told them that the man behind Tyler is called Lehmann. His grandfather was a high ranking Nazi that had fled Germany after the war and brought a lot of grenades and diamonds to the US. He believed that they were hidden somewhere in the area and therefore had hired Tyler to go digging. He gave them a vague description of the guy and a direction in which he had seen Tyler driving off whenever he wanted to meet Lehmann. It fit with the other information they had, the guy must be hiding somewhere in the forest close to town.

"Let's tie this clown up and send him to the clinic. Then we go scout the area."

"But I told you all I know."

"We'll keep you for further reference muchacho, until the time for warranty has passed."

The first thing they asked when entering the clinic was "Any call?"

"Yes, he called about an hour ago. Said 'he's weak, sick and suffering from nightmares' and then he hung up again."

"BA, toss that clown into an empty room and let's hurry up." Hannibal's mood had not been good to begin with but hearing those news had dampened it even more.

The plan to hurry up had one hitch though, after scouting out the area they found themselves facing a big camp full of militia and what looked to be all kind of modern artillery. The unnumbered helicopter was parked there too, hidden under a shed that was covered with branches and leaves. It was done professionally, the whole camp would be difficult to spot from the air, those people were not joking.

Decker changed and bathed, got some real food and some rest before he returned to the hospital three and a half hours later. He deiced to check in on Crane before going to Peck.

"How are you doing?"

"Much better, thanks. How's Peck?"

"Not so good."

"Will he pull through?"

"I'm not a doctor, I hope so." Decker stood looking out the window.

"He hasn't been conscious enough to say much but I learned a lot from his nightmares. I know he had it rough in Nam but it seems he had a rough childhood too, and then he meets up with Smith and his gang, he's not a lucky one. And he's still calling out for Smith…"

"You never told me what happened between Smith and you."

"It's a long story Crane. I'll better head back to Peck, see you."

Decker was out of the door leaving behind a puzzled Crane. He approached the room where Peck was and found the guard still in front. Through the glass he could see Peck sleep and it looked as if nothing had happened.

"Lieutenant."

"Colonel. The doctor said he wants to see you on your return."

Decker turned and went to the doctor's office.

"Colonel, have a seat. For reasons unknown to me Peck came though after just shy of three hours. He was caught in a nightmare, thrashing in his bonds and calling out for one Hannibal. The sedative hadn't left his system but wasn't working anymore. I was forced to introduce another one to his system resulting in his vitals taking a turn for the worse. I'm especially concerned about his respiratory system. So far the oxygen saturation in his blood is still tolerable but if it goes down more we'll have to react."

"React how?"

"Our next step would be a ventilator."

For the first time since their fallout in Nam, Decker couldn't wait until he saw John 'Hannibal' Smith.

Hannibal, Murdock and B.A. remained well hidden behind some dense trees.

"I see only one option." Hannibal looked at B.A. with a weary smile.

"And I ain't gonna like it, am I?"

"I'm afraid not. We have to get to that chopper and take them by surprise from above."

Murdock let out a quiet 'whoop' of joy eliciting a growl from B.A. "No way, man."

"C'mon, sergeant, Face would do it for you."

B.A. crossed his arms defiantly. "Face ain't afraid to fly."

It was Hannibal's turn to cross his arms in a challenging stance, "I seem to remember a time when Face overcame a fear for you."

"Huh?" B.A. wracked his brain trying to remember.

Decker went back to sit with Crane while Face slept through the next round of sedatives.

"So, colonel, we have some time now."

Decker cocked his head. "Yeah…and?"

"And you want to tell me what went down between you and Smith."

Decker leaned forward and rested his head in his hands. "Lily Monroe went down."

"Excuse me? This whole thing started over some chick?"

The colonel adamantly shook his head. "No…not some chick…a real woman." He paused and closed his eyes drawing up the beautiful redhead's memory. "She was a nurse stationed with our unit at the time."

"You mean that you and Smith were in the same unit?"

Decker nodded. "Sure were…and were good friends too."

"So what happened? You both had your eyes on Lily?"

"Not just our eyes I'm afraid."

Crane grinned sheepishly. "Oh."

"All I know is that one night I came into the barracks and Smith had his hands on Lily…I saw red…and then we fought." Decker chuckled bitterly. "You know, to this day I wonder what got into me. I mean I knew Lily was seeing a few guys. But one thing led to another…he said some things…then I said some things. The friendship was gone and from that moment forward we went out of our way to get on each other's nerves."

"Well that hasn't changed."

'Until maybe now,' Decker thought. "You look tired…get some sleep, pal."

************************************************** *******************  
"One of you better tell me what you talkin' about. I don't remember Face overcomin' no fear for me."

"Are your earrings short-circuiting your brain or something?" Murdock teased. "Face could have died that day had we not been there to fish him out."

"Oh that, damn fool coulda said something." BA's words were harsh but his tone was soft and betrayed him.

"We have to wait for nightfall before we make our move. We'll stay here and rest. Saves us extra energy and we can keep an eye on things."

It was just noon and so they settled in, rotating shifts to watch the camp. They were out of earshot but if the wind stood in their direction they could hear part of what was said down there and therefore slowly got the puzzle together. Hannibal took first watch and things went uneventful. What he did learn though, was that the camp was led in a Nazi style and it made him feel sick. He heard pieces of sentences and found out about some bomb and a planed attack but nothing more specific.

BA sat propped up on a tree and thought back to the day Face had rescued him. They had been on a mission in Nam and split up. Hannibal and Murdock went more south while Face and BA had been dropped some clicks north of their position to blow a bridge while Hannibal and Murdock did the same south and then meet up in the middle. The plan was to walk along the river up to a point where the water was shallow, cross the river by walking through it and then get to the LZ at the other side. They were just in time and BA had point, he jumped into the water and started wading to the middle. As he turned around Face was standing there not moving.

'What you doing? Get in them water.'

'The current is way to strong today, we'll get carried away.'

'Just have to swim some part, we'll end up somewhere half a click south, move it.'

'No, it's too risky, our rifles will get wet.'

'We won't need them, fool'll be here any minute. Move it man, he can't land at this side.' While Face was right, the water was far higher and faster than anticipated, they had to get to the other side and the river wasn't very wide. What he didn't know was that the enemy too was waiting at the other side. Before he reached the part of the river where he had to swim shots rang out and BA went down. One shot had hit his shoulder and made him stumble and lose his helmet. The next shot grazed his head and left him out cold, floating face down in the water.

Face ran along the side of the river to catch up with BA. He threw his riffle in the water so it wouldn't be of use to the enemy and did the same with his pack. He then jumped into the water without further thinking, grabbed BA with one arm and a big log that was floating along with the other one and was washed away, struggling to keep BA's and his own head over water.

Murdock had come to the LZ in time to see two men floating and immediately recognized BA's Mohawk. He followed them and when the log Face was holding onto got caught by some rocks Hannibal jumped from the chopper and ran over. The log was caught in the middle of the river and Face just managed to get BA, who was conscious by now but of no big help, close enough to the side so that Hannibal, who stood in the water too, could grab him and haul him to safety. Face however held onto the edge of the log and didn't move.

'C'mon Face we gotta get outta here.'

Face looked at the water and shook his head. 'Can't.'

'What do you mean?'

'I'll get washed away.'

'C'mon now, BA needs to get to the medics. Just swim the short distance.'

'I can't.'

'Get off of it, we gotta move.' Hannibal was at the chopper just loading in BA and yelling back.

Face knew BA needed help and he also knew he was being a coward. He had watched others swim countless times and it looked simple enough. He pushed himself away from the log but his feet couldn't get a hold and he was washed down the river.

Murdock saw everything like in slow motion. Without waiting for Hannibal to hold onto something he took off to follow.

'Murdock, are you crazy?'

'Face is in trouble.'

They got ahead of him and once again Hannibal jumped into the water to fish one of his men out. They arrived at the medics with two patients. When Face regained consciousness two days later and admitted to the team that he couldn't swim nobody knew what to say. As soon as he was up to it Murdock made it his mission to teach Face swimming and within a short time he had become one of the best swimmers of the unit. It also brought the two closer together. Hannibal had just wished Face would have said something earlier.

BA was brought out of his musings by Hannibal and Murdock changing shifts. Here he sat and Face once again lived through one of his fears, the fear of being alone. He was frustrated sitting there with no means to get to Face. They were at the total mercy of Decker and he didn't like it one bit.


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

Before darkness they had heard enough to know that the crazy camp leader Lehmann wanted to continue what his grandfather had started, whatever that was, and needed the diamonds to generate enough money for his plan.

It was BA's shift when he overheard someone saying "got to dispose him off…boss wants him gone…this Bob or Joe or Jim or whoever."

Decker sat by Face who hadn't stirred the whole day but his vitals were doing a roller coaster ride. The doc was coming in to check on him more often now and didn't like the way things went. Instead of getting stronger from the rest Face seemed to get agitated and rather weakened more. That's why it came as such a surprise when he looked up from the magazine he was reading to see two focused blue eyes on him.

"Decker…need you to do me a favor."

Decker tossed aside the magazine and leaned forward in his chair.

"Name it, Peck."

"Can you write some things down for me?"

"Of course. Let me get a pen and some paper…I'll be right back."

Face nodded weakly. The last person he wanted to reveal his true feelings to was Decker, but his options were limited. And over the past couple of days he had grown to respect the colonel and trust him to a degree.

"I'm back. You talk, and I'll write."

Face hesitated trying to think of how to begin.

"I don't recall you ever being speechless before," Decker joked.

The comment earned a smile from Face before he answered with, "True, but then again I never thought I was so close to dying."

"Hey…Peck…you're not…"

Face held up a bandaged hand to stop Decker. "You can't con a con-man." For some reason he felt the need to comfort the colonel who looked strangely sad. "It's okay…I accepted death a long time ago. Hell, I didn't expect to make it this far. It's just…I never got…um…the chance to tell the guys a few things."

Decker chewed on his bottom lip. "Then you go ahead, son…but just in case."

Face kept his eyes trained on the ceiling as he spoke and just let the words pour out of his heart. He started by addressing the team as a group.

_"Guys, if you're reading this I'm hopefully looking down at you from the golden country club in the sky. Now that I'm gone you can fight over who is the best looking guy of the team."_

Face cleared his throat as he was about to get serious.

_"I wish you three were here with me so I could tell you in person just how much your friendship has meant to me over the years. But even if you were, I doubt I can put it into words. How do you thank somebody for giving you the one thing you always wanted and never thought you'd have? As a kid all I wanted was a family. I prayed so hard, but it never happened. I joined the Army not caring if I lived or died, after all I had nothing and nobody to come home to. But then I was assigned to your unit and found the family I was always longing for…it just took me 18 years to find it."_

Decker frowned; that number made Peck five years younger than his file has said.

_"B.A., even though we clash on the style front, I have always admired your strength…and not just that which can be seen from the outside. You're my big brother...the guy I could always call for and you would come running. I'm going to miss our talks…even though I did most of the talking…You are a special person who could say so much by saying so little."_

_"Murdock, my one regret is that you never told me what the H.M. stood for. You are like my twin brother…fraternal of course. You taught me how to really laugh and be free. If you're crazy, then the world needs a whole lot more crazy in it."_

_"Hannibal…"_ Face stopped short and closed his eyes.

"Peck…you okay?"

Face nodded; the depth of his emotions were draining the little bit of energy he had left.

_"Hannibal, I wish I could hand you a cigar right now, but since I can't please pull one out of your pocket…I know there's one in there…and light it while you read this. Thank you for not giving up on me all those years ago like all the others had. Besides Father MaGhill you are the only person who could have easily tossed me aside…but you didn't. The day I met you, I decided I wanted to live…I wanted to make you proud. You kept us safe and strong in Nam…and made us hold our heads high when the whole world thought we were guilty. You said that we knew the truth and that was what really mattered. You are the father I always wanted… and the man I will consider my dad."_

Tears were now streaking down Face's cheeks as he concluded_. "I want you to know that I wasn't afraid to die; I know there is an afterlife and we will meet again. Until that time I will miss you all so very much. I love you, Faceman."_

Decker had a lump in his throat and tears in his own eyes but quickly wiped them away. He folded the letter and put it in his pocket. Face's eyes were closed and he thought he had gone to sleep or passed out and was watching the fragile looking figure on the bed.

'Murdock, shit, I told him about Murdock.' Face's eyes shot open again. "The letter, you got to send a copy to the VA, the one Murdock is staying at, because of being on the run…I never got a chance to thank him. And the orphanage, father Maghill, add my thanks to him."

"I'll keep that letter but I won't need to send it anywhere, you're not going to die Peck, it's just the drugs making you sick, you can thank them all in person very soon."

'He bought it.' Face's eyes drifted shut again and this time he was out.

"You're not going to die, not on my watch." Just as he pulled the cover up around Face's shoulders the doctor came in again with some equipment in hand.

"What's this?"

"His oxygen reading dropped again. I'll try giving him oxygen through a nasal canula as a last resort but if that doesn't help I need to hook him up to the ventilator. My fear is that he'll rip it out in one of his nightmares. If that happens I have to sedate him again although he's quite out of it anyway."

"Why shouldn't it work?"

"He still has to breathe on his own and as it is now he's taking very shallow breaths, looking at the bruising on his chest and abdomen I would say it hurts like hell to take deep breaths. That must have been one hell of an impact."

Face slept through the doctor putting the device in and seemed calm afterwards. That was until 30 minutes later when the next nightmare started and he got agitated in his sleep. Decker tried to calm him with words but as he opened his eyes and saw Decker looming over him it had the opposite effect. The loose restraints from earlier on were still on and he struggled in his bonds with all his might, which wasn't really much seeing his weak state but enough to set all the alarms off. The doctor rushed in and injected yet more sedative in his IV. It didn't take long before Face went slack.

"Damn, this is going to cost him. Don't you know anyone who has a calming influence on him?"

'None that could come here.' He thought, out loud he said "No, nobody. How long will he be out?"

"Hopefully throughout the night and well into tomorrow."

"How much longer does he need the antibiotics?"

"Two more rounds, tomorrow morning and then day after tomorrow."

Decker left the hospital again. He needed to talk to Smith, if only he could call from the hospital room he could let Peck talk to him but the army recorded everything. He needed to get Peck's spirits up. He found a payphone and dialed.

"I need to talk to Smith."

"He's not around."

"What about Baracus."

"He neither, none of them is here."

"When will they be back?"

"I don't know."

"Tell him the boy is bad off, he shall stay near the phone, I'll call again."

"Hannibal, they're heading for the car."

Two of the goons got into a car ready to drive towards their direction. They quickly pulled a large log across the path and waited hidden behind some trees.

"Where did this thing come from?"

"From us, drop your guns."

They did as were told and surrendered.

"Now where were you headed?"

"To pick up supplies."

"Try again."

"Really."

"Jim ain't no supply man."

The goon in charge paled. "How did you know?"

"Oh, another bright one. Come on already; send us there, and no tricks."

They drove deeper into the forest for over an hour before they approached some hut. "He's in there."

"Then go and open up."

"He's quite wild, I'll give you the key."

"I told you no games, move it."

The hut was empty and it didn't look as if anybody had been inside for a while. BA had to shake the truth out of them, literally, but it took hours. They were either very loyal or very afraid. When they finally reached Jim's prison it was already getting light outside.

"Jim, do you have a safe place out of town where you can hide for a while?"

"Yeah, I have some friends in a different state."

"Okay, get there and stay hidden until this is over. Guys, let's go back, they'll miss the two jerks and we also missed our opportunity to surprise them at night. We'll have to wait for tonight to come but I want to be close, just in case. Those two missing might jeopardize the whole thing."

"Can't we pass the clinic and see if Decker called?"

"No time Murdock, this could get ugly real fast, you saw all the ammo." Unfortunately the phone in the van had no reception out there.

The two goons in question were tied up in the back of their jeep. Since they needed a ride back they decided to just take them along. They drove the Jeep off the road a mile before reaching the camp, hid it under branches and hiked the rest.

Decker had called the hospital to find out that Face was still out of it and decided to get some real sleep for a change. He rented a motel room, left the number with the hospital and slept up to morning. A quick call to the hospital revealed that nothing had happened.

Decker located another payphone and called the clinic again.

"What do you mean, nobody is there and nobody came all night? I can't believe this. " Decker hung up and went back to the hospital.

"You won't believe it Crane. Smith doesn't give a damn about his man but he calls out for him in his nightmares. All this talk about how Smith is taking care of his men, by all you know they have already moved on, leaving Peck to our mercy."

"What are you talking about?"

"I called last night and nobody was at the clinic and this morning neither, nor had Baracus or Smith come there all night. Their mission was over, the thugs had been send off to prison, they have no reason not to be standing by the phone in the clinic and waiting for my calls. Smith never picked any of my calls so far, it was always the doc and now it seems he can't reach them too."

"I just can't believe that."

"Well, believe it."

"How's Peck?"

"Real bad off, that's why I tried to contact Smith."

"Damn."

"You can say that again. I'll better go back and sit with him."

Face slept through the morning and showed signs of awareness around noon. The new round of sedatives coupled with the antibiotics had left him so weak that it didn't really count as being awake.

"Han'bal."

"Shh Peck, it's Decker, you're safe."

"Han'bal."

"I talked to Smith last night and this morning too, he said he wished he could be here with you and sends his greetings. He wants you to pull it together and get through this fast, he needs you to come back real fast, you hear me? Baracus too sends his greetings. He too said he needs you around."

Though it was a lie it seemed to calm Peck down.

"Han'bal? BA?"

"Yes, they're all very concerned about you. Now try if you can rest a little more."

'And if I get my hands on Smith I'll throw him into the deepest and darkest prison there is and throw away the key.'

Hannibal tried to keep his mind focused on the task at hand: getting to the chopper without getting spotted. But as the time ticked by he found his thoughts wandering back to Face. 'We should be with him instead of out here. My God…I left him with Decker of all people. I should have listened to Murdock.'

Murdock was having a hard time sitting still; it took all of his strength not to hightail it out of there and to Face's bedside. But the colonel was hell bent on seeing this through first. He had agreed to this plan, but assumed he would have flown them out of here long ago. And while he could understand why they were staying the course, he couldn't justify leaving Face for this long…even given the circumstances of his current military hospital situation.

B.A. watched as Murdock sulked on one side of him and Hannibal brooded on the other. 'Them two fools getting' on my nerves.' But what was really bothering his nerves was not knowing what condition Face was in. It was just about dark and B.A. noticed most of the men walking in the opposite direction of the hidden chopper and toward a covered pavilion. Not wanting to believe that he was actually about to volunteer to fly, he motioned to the others.

"Here's our chance…they must be havin' a meeting or somethin'."

Hannibal smiled his 'jazz' smile…the first real one in quite some time…and turned to Murdock. "You ready to fly, captain.'

Murdock returned the smile knowing it would get them one step closer to their fallen friend. "Yes, sir," he saluted.

B.A. grunted in satisfaction…though he had to fly, at least the rift was temporarily mended.

The whole thing was easy…almost too easy. With the enemy confined in one spot they were able to sneak into the helicopter and get up in the air before the opponent knew what hit them. Murdock brought the bird so low that the dust blowing into their faces wouldn't allow them to see before pulling up and allowing Hannibal to force their surrender with an attack of heavy gunfire. B.A. remained frozen solid…a golden clad statue…until they hit the ground and went about securing their prisoners.

B.A. ran back the mile to get the jeep but returned with bad news. "They gone."

"Who? Murdock asked.

"Abott and Costello…who do you think, fool? Them guys tied up in the jeep."

Hannibal frowned. "And guess who I just realized is missing from this group? Lehmann."

They had gotten most of the mice, but were still missing the king rat and a couple of rodents. But satisfied that they had made a sizable dent in the operation, they sped back to the clinic to see if there was any word on Face.

They got there just a few minutes before Decker called with another update. This time Hannibal was standing close to the phone and anxious as he was didn't wait for the doc to pick it.

"Yeah?"

"Smith!"

"Spill it Decker, how is he?"

"He's on a ventilator, too weak to breathe properly. If you wanna see him again before his funeral you better turn yourself in and now."

"Nice try Decker. That would get me straight to prison and not to Face's side."

"I could arrange something."

"Oh come off it Rod. Your doctors probably pumped him full of meds, he always has nasty reactions and ends up to weak to do anything. Just stop giving him the crap and he'll get better. Inform us when he's ready to roll and we'll pick him up at the front door."

Decker didn't have words on this and slammed the phone down. Hannibal did the same and headed straight for the van.


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

"What's it Hannibal?"

"You two get some rest and keep an eye out for Lehmann and Co. I'm going to see Face."

"How is he?"

"Decker says he's weak. I hope it's the meds."

"Let me come with you Colonel, I need to see him."

"No way Murdock, it's a military hospital."

While Hannibal put on the disguise of an old man BA asked, "You think them creeps are still around?"

"Lehmann is a crazy extremist. He's intent to finish whatever it is his grandfather started, probably taking over the world or something like that, and he won't stop."

Decker went back to the hospital and to Face's bedside. He couldn't tell whether he was asleep or not, by all means he wasn't sedated. He had been hooked up to the ventilator early this morning after having been given the last round of antibiotics. The doc had said he can't sedate him again, besides it won't be necessary, he's in no condition to thrash around in his nightmares any more. Face was awake and unsure if he should be glad to not feel like suffocating again or rather angry for hurting all over since, apart from having a tube down his throat, the machine forced him to take deep breaths and caused all his chest to hurt.

A while later an old man walked down the hospital aisle towards the ICU. He wore scraps over his clothes and walked with a cane. First he chatted with the doctor then he went over to the nurse's desk, looked at some files and chatted a little before his gaze fell on the glass window and he spotted Decker by Face's side. He appeared surprised and went inside.

"Colonel Decker, I heard so much about you. And who's that…don't tell me…Peck? You caught a member of the A-Team? Well done Colonel. Oh, I'm rude, name's Dr. Hanson, I worked here until my pension a few years back."

For a minute Decker thought of Smith trying to fool him but he seemed too short and fat besides he had read about Dr. Hanson, he was one heck of a Doctor patching up hopeless cases in Nam. He had seen his picture in the cafeteria and was told that he came here occasionally. And of course Smith didn't care enough to pull such a stunt.

"Thanks Sir, I'll get hold of the rest in no time."

"This one here seems real bad off, what's wrong with him?" Hannibal picked up the chart, he had become good at reading those over the years. He too had done his homework as soon as Face had been transported here and found out that Dr. Hanson came to visit often enough to not cause suspicion but seldom enough to not be recognized straight away.

'They pumped you full of all kind of shit kid, no wonder you look like crap. At least they seem to have stopped.'

The voice alone seemed to calm Face and his readings normalized some.

"You seem to have a good influence on him."

"Yeah, haven't lost my touch." He brought a chair close and took the patient's limp hand in his own. He talked soothingly while all the time giving Morse taps to the hand to tell Face he was here now and would come back to see him. He was relieved when the hand gave a weak squeeze as a sign of understanding. He told him to rest and get better so they could take him out of there, then waited until Face had drifted off before turning back to Decker.

"I'm curious as to what will happen to him, I'll come back later if you don't mind."

"Not at all Dr. Hanson, I'm honored. You seem to have a good influence on him too."

Over the next three days Hannibal continued to visit Face and Decker under the guise of being Dr. Hanson. Face continued to hold on and whiles he got off the ventilator after just a day he seemed to be getting no better after that. Hannibal had Murdock and B.A. scouring the area for signs of Lehmann, but so far they had nothing. It was as if the guy disappeared into thin air.

Murdock was growing increasingly angry at Hannibal, feeling that he was deliberately keeping him and B.A. away from Face. Hannibal would have liked nothing more than to have his whole team together but it wasn't safe. He tried to explain this, and while B.A. understood, Murdock didn't want to listen.

After his fourth visit Hannibal took his time leaving stopping to chat with various medical professionals; so far the act had been working like a charm and he had to keep up appearances. It took him close to fifteen minutes to get halfway down the hall when he heard a scream from inside Face's room: "Hannibal!"

"Excuse me," Hannibal said to a young blonde nurse. "I believe the young man I was just visiting is having a rough go of things…I'll go back and see if I can help."

Hannibal tried to maintain his calm as he strode back to the room but inside his stomach was churning. By the time he reached Face's side, his lieutenant's head was shifting from side to side and he had tears leaking out from under his eyelids. He was moaning softly and Decker was leaning over him trying to calm him down.

"Dr. Hanson…I'm glad you haven't left yet."

"Hannibal!" Face cried out again.

Hannibal was torn on what to do…that is until Face pleaded, "I need you…please…Hannibal…where are you?"

"I'm right here, son," Hannibal answered practically pushing Decker out of the way in his haste to comfort Face.

"Smith?!"…

"Face, it's alright kid, I'm here for you, just a dream." Hannibal just ignored Decker and by the time the doctor came rushing in Face had calmed down and gone back to sleep.

"Dr. Hanson, that's amazing, the patient never calmed without sedatives when he was this worked up."

"What can I say, I seem to have a good influence on him, unfortunately I can't be around too often since I live a bit far."

Decker choose to stay quiet and Hannibal took that as his cue to go on with the charade.

"I have good contacts with a small sanctuary close to where I live. I've been thinking, if we could transfer the patient to that place, I could spend more time with him. I think from the medical view you've done all you can, now it's up to him to heal."

"He's a prisoner."

'Decker, why don't you just keep your big mouth shut?' were Hannibal's thoughts but out loud he said "He would still be a prisoner, he's hardly strong enough to make a run for it and when he's better he can be transferred back."

"Isn't a transport risky?"

"It is but worth the risk, I really don't know what to do with him anymore. Those nightmares are killing him, literally. He needs the calm influence and I agree with Dr. Hanson"

"Good, then I'll arrange everything to get him transferred tomorrow morning."

"We won't get a police escort that fast."

"Colonel Decker, all due respect, but didn't the army have a large escort anytime they had a member of the A-Team and it never worked? Why not transfer him in a normal ambulance? His Team would never know he's in one. I'll come back tomorrow morning to ride with you, that way we don't even need to occupy a doctor from here, and tell you what, you can drive and then we don't occupy anybody else. What do you say?"

"Sounds great." The answer was clearly forced out between clenched teeth but he had promised to look after Peck and he had saved his and Cranes life and almost died in the process. At least after this they would be even, and Smith seemed to care after all.

Satisfied with the result the doctor left the room and therefore left the three men alone.

"Smith, what are you doing here?"

"You thought I would leave my lieutenant alone with you? Make sure they don't pump him full of more crap tonight. I'll stay a while and then be back bright and early to take him home."

"News flash, Smith. You _have_ left him alone with me, and _I _have been the one taking care of him…not you."

Hannibal glared. "And here's a flash for you, Rod….if my lieutenant hadn't saved your captain's life we wouldn't be here right now."

'Touche,' Decker thought, but said nothing and returned the glare.

Hannibal counted to ten in his head and released the breath he hadn't realized he was holding. "How is Crane?"

Decker heard the real concern in Hannibal's voice and his guard dropped just enough to answer, "Much better…should be released in a couple of days."

Hannibal nodded and gave a small grin. "Good…glad to hear it." He turned back to look at Face and the grin disappeared, replaced by anxiety and distress.

Suddenly Decker felt an ounce of sympathy for his former friend. "I'm going to go sit with Crane for a bit…try to be gone by the time I get back." He started out the door but then turned and added, "I'm not letting you get away, Smith…I won't be letting you out of my sights."

"I wouldn't expect anything less, Decker." Hannibal waited for his nemesis to leave before pulling a chair up next to Face's side.

Decker stood leaning against the wall trying to get a handle on the roller coaster of emotions he was feeling. Anger…sadness…fear…confusion...it was enough to make him dizzy. But it was what he heard from back inside the room that would stay with him.

"You're one stubborn kid do you know that? Wouldn't get any better unless your team is around, but don't worry kid, I'm here with you and I'll have you home and safe in no time. You still need a hospital, you know, but I know it wouldn't help you, too many reminders off all the crap that happened in your life, the part that ended up in a hospital anyway. God kid, I'm so sorry I couldn't be with you all the time. Just tonight Face, and then we'll be with you, no more nightmares to suffer through on your own. You'll see."

Decker peered around the corner and saw Hannibal sitting by F ace's bedside stroking over the sleeping mans hair.

By the time he returned from Crane's room Face was alone. For once he slept through the night without a nightmare, it seems Smith had a great influence on him.

As promised Hannibal in the disguise of Dr. Hanson was back bright and early. Face was prepared for the transport and soon they were in the elevator ready to go down. Before the doctor could press the button Decker stopped him, "Dr. Hanson, did you arrange everything? Give me the number of the place, I'll quickly call there to see for myself."

"Don't worry, all has been arranged, I don't have the number in head but sure the nurse over there could look it up for you. It's the Angels sanctuary."

If Decker thought he would get him that easy he was in for a surprise. He had spent half of the night to find a free bed and register Face to come there today but he had finally found one.

Decker stepped back into the elevator. "All seems well, let's go." He pressed the button to go up.

"Ehrm, we should go down to where the ambulance is waiting."

"Oh, I didn't tell you." With a smirk on his face he added, "I took the liberty to arrange for a chopper, will be much easier on Peck this way. "

"Very good idea Colonel Decker, very good indeed." The doctor beamed. He had been contemplating to object to the ambulance ride but thought Hanson would know what to do.

Hannibal kept a neutral expression as he said, "that will be much faster too."

Soon Face was loaded in the chopper and joined by Decker and Hannibal before the pilot got his orders to move.

Decker was looking out the window torn as to whether he was doing the right thing. Crane had tried to talk him into letting Peck and Smith go. He had wanted to let Peck go himself but somehow seeing Smith had changed that, which in itself was funny since he was the one that complained about Smith not caring for his man in the first place. But somewhere deep down he hated Smith so much that he couldn't just let him go. He would at least make it as difficult for him as possible. He had also arranged for a lot of military police to be at the sanctuary by the time they arrived. He had planes to let Peck get better and then take them to Fort Bragg, or maybe he would give Peck the option to run or rather give Smith the option to bring Peck to safety if he turned himself in, he hadn't decided yet. By all means he would see to it that Smith ended up in jail.

After some fifteen minutes journey Hannibal reached under his doctor outfit and brought out a gun pointing straight at Decker. "Pilot, turn west or the colonel here eats it."

Decker grabbed for his own gun just to notice it was gone. Hannibal held it up in his other hand. "Pilot, stay the course."

"But sir…"

"Soldier, stay the course."

"No, you better do as I tell you and go west, I'll shoot his kneecap first, you have five seconds."

"Soldier, stay…"

"Sorry Sir, I can't live with being responsible for this."

The chopper swayed from it's course and moved west.

"Very good, now you fly over this forest and then you go down."

"Soldier, I'll have you stripped off your rank, I'll have you court marshaled and you'll lose your license if you don't get back on course."

"Ah, now don't pout Decker, and stop shouting, you'll wake Face."

Within a short time the chopper landed on an open field in the middle of a forest.

"Okay Rod, this is your stop. Get out. Nothing better than a nice morning walk." He pointed the other gun at the pilots head. "Move it or I shoot him, and you, get up in the air as soon as the colonel here is out. I'll give you directions as soon as we're up."

Decker had no option than to get out. He did so grumbling and swearing to get back at Hannibal. "You better swear I never get assigned on your case." Was the last thing he shouted before Hannibal closed the door.

"Nice Murdock, now call BA and tell him he can leave the sanctuary then ditch this chopper and change to the other one. I told you we had to be prepared for everything with Decker."

But what neither of them was prepared for was Face's eyes opening and the panicked look in his eyes. "No…need to…get Decker back. Has note…need it…if I don't…don't make it."

"Shh, kid. You're going to make it…you're going to be just fine."

"No…don't think…don't think can…take much more. So tired."

The defeated tone in Face's voice sent shivers down Murdock's spine; he had heard that same tone all too often in the hospital when one of the patients was about to give up. "You just need some real good rest is all, muchacho," he tried to encourage as much for his own benefit as for Face's.

"No…need to…need to get note."

"What note, Face?" Hannibal asked.

Face looked Hannibal as deeply in the eyes as his own bleary ones would allow knowing he was about to pass out again. "Promise…promise me…get Decker…need to…need to get note."

"Kid…"

Face reached out his bandaged hand to Hannibal. "Pro…promise."

Hannibal gently took the hand into his own. "I promise."

Face sighed gratefully and allowed his eyes to shut once more.

Murdock looked back over his shoulder. "Colonel, I hope you didn't promise something you can't deliver."

Hannibal nodded. "So do I."

Murdock turned back around and swallowed hard before saying, "I mean…if…if Face…if he doesn't…"

"Don't go there, captain."

"Trust me…I don't want to. But…look at him…really look at him."

Hannibal did just that. "Oh God, kid," he cried softly. For the first time he allowed himself to truly see Face. If not for the rising and falling of his chest, he would have thought he had already breathed his last breath. How could he deny Face what might possibly be a last request?

"Change in plans, Murdock…when you call B.A. tell him that he needs to drive by and find out what note Face is talking about."

"And what about us?"

"We get Face to safety…that and we pray…"

Murdock wiped his eyes to have a clear view again and then called BA to inform him.

_"And how am I supposed to find Decker in the middle of a forest, sucker?"_

"BA is real worried colonel, he called me sucker and not fool."

"Tell him we'll get Face to safety and then you circle back with the chopper to spot Decker from top, the forest isn't all that dense and he has no reason to hide."

"Did you hear that big guy?"

_"I did. Make sure you get the Faceman comfortable and don't crash, you hear me sucker, fool I mean."_

"I hear you loud and clear big guy, see you soon."

"Where to Hannibal, the clinic will be the first place Decker will check out but Face needs a doc."

"Stay with the plan Murdock, we ditch this chopper, transfer to the other one and go to the safe house. The new part is you will circle back to help BA find Decker and then swing by the clinic to pick up Doc Hendrikson and the Millers, I don't want them in their own house as long as this Lehmann is on the lam."

"You got it colonel."

Within the hour they were at the pre-arranged safe house, a single house way out of town. The owner was a former client of the A-Team and also the owner of the chopper they were using right now. That enabled them to come and go by chopper without anybody getting suspicious. The former client and his wife were home but handed over most of their spacious and comfortable home to the A-Team and its guests, happy to be able to pay back some of the help they had received from the Team years ago.

Face hadn't stirred and even now as he was transferred from the gurney to the bed he didn't twitch.

"Okay Murdock, hurry. He needs all of us around right now."

Murdock went right back and spotted Decker easily. He had made it close to the end of the forest and was walking along a broad path. Another half an hour he would be out and at the street and another five miles later he would find the first houses and therefore a phone to call in reinforcements. He gave the information to BA and then continued on his way to the clinic.

BA was close. It took him just a few minutes to get to where Decker was. Decker was so baffled to see the van coming around the bend in the path that he just stood there gaping.

"What you looking at sucker?"

"Baracus!"

"Yeah, the one and only. You promised to take care of the Faceman and then you pull stunts and try to take him to prison. I should pound you right into the dirt, sucker." BA had Decker by his shirt.

"Take your hands of me. I did take care of him. You and Smith were the ones that didn't care and couldn't be reached when he needed you."

"What you talking of fool, anyway, the Faceman needs me, gimme that note he was talking of."

"What?"

"The note, now!"

"What note?"

"What do I know? He was talking of some note you had."

"I don't have…oh, that. No, I won't give it to you. He told me to keep it and give it to you in case he doesn't make it. He's still alive so I'll keep it."


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

"Are you totally nuts? Faceman wants this note and you'll hand it over, now."

"Or what?"

"Or I'll pound it out of you, you're talking to Bad Attitude Baracus, don't forget that fool."

"Anyway, doesn't make any difference." Decker pulled out the letter but stopped before handing it over.

"What now?"

"I'll give it to you if you give me a lift to the next town."

"For what? So you can be on our tail even faster? Forget it."

Decker smirked and made to put the letter back in his pocket but BA send a punch at him that felt good, for BA anyways, and grabbed the letter from a falling Decker before getting back in the van and leaving a stunned Decker in a cloud of dust.

Once Decker regained his senses, he stood rubbing his chin. "I wonder how long it will take Baracus to realize that he just stole a blank piece of paper?"

B.A. tossed the note onto the passenger seat of the van and didn't think about giving it a second look. It wasn't until he pulled over a short while later to answer the ringing phone that he got a glance of the paper that had opened up.

He did a double take at the empty sheet before picking it up and staring at it in disbelief. 'I'm gonna kill Decker.'

The phone had stopped ringing by that point, but B.A. was too angry at himself to notice. 'How could you fall for that, Baracus?' He slammed his hand down on the steering wheel in frustration before laying his head back against the headrest.

He had yet to move when the phone started ringing again.

"Yeah?"

"You get it, sergeant?"

"Yeah…well no…um you see…"

It was unlike B.A. to seem so scattered. "B.A….you okay?"

"I'm fine…but Decker ain't gonna be when I get through with him." B.A. cleared his throat before admitting, "he tricked me, colonel…gave me a dummy note…ain't nothin' on it."

"Damn."

"Yeah…exactly. What you want me to do, man?"

"We need that note." It was Hannibal's turn to sound scattered. "Face might not…um…he's not doing well…and in case…in case you know…we need to know what is in that note."

"I'll get it…don't you worry. I'm gonna turn around right now. He couldn't have gotten very far on foot."

"I don't trust Decker…as long as he's in the vicinity we're going to be looking over our shoulder. I think it best if we make it so when we look back he's within our sights."

"Aw, man. You ain't sayin' what I think you are…are you?"

"Sure am."

B.A. could almost see Hannibal's 'on the jazz' smile and he groaned loud enough for Hannibal to hear.

"Just make sure he has the note with him this time."

"Yes, sir. But first I'm gonna shove this fake one down his throat…"

"B.A.!"

"Just kiddin', colonel," B.A. quickly added, though he wasn't so sure. "I'll pick up the trash and head your way."

This time when Decker saw the van he wasn't surprised, but he was a bit scared. He had thought about moving off the street and into the forest but then again he didn't want to back down from a bunch of fugitives. So he had stayed on the path and moved on, now he wasn't so sure that had been a good idea. Especially after BA had stopped the Van and was nose to nose with him.

"Where's the note sucker?"

"I gave it to you, maybe you lost it."

"Don't play games with me or I'll shake it out of ya."

"Try."

If Decker had anticipated the punch that came his way he wouldn't have said that. Now he was in the dust again and not able to think clear. BA used the time to click Decker's own handcuffs around his wrists and then search his pockets for the note. When he found it he put it in his own pocket without reading, just made sure it was the right one this time, and then pulled Decker, who's head was still ringing, up.

"What are you doing?"

"You wanted a lift, get inside."

"What?"

"You heard me, move it already, I ain't got all day."

"You can't kidnap me."

"You ain't no kid and now move it, the Faceman ain't doing so well, I don't have time to argue with you while he may….ah, won't happen. Move."

Decker was stunned by the news. Peck had looked bad but he hadn't really played with the thought that he may not pull through. He got inside without another word and was even cooperative when BA fixed him to the seat with a rope.

In the meantime Murdock had arrived at the house and was getting the news while the doctor checked a still unresponsive Face over.

"And how do you plan to keep Decker from knowing where he is? We can't get this people here in trouble. And I ain't to keen on meeting him either, it will blow my cover."

"We'll find a way, let's concentrate on Face first. Doc?"

"He's weak, very weak. He needs rest and for now I think he's getting it. If he had those nightmares I witnessed in the clinic and nobody around to bring him out of it… he didn't get any proper rest, even if he was sleeping. We have to make sure he gets the rest he needs and keep him free from any infections. The rest is up to him, there's nothing I could do."

"How do we keep him free from infections?"

"The first thing is to remove the catheter, it's a potential risk for infection, the room is clean already but we'll wipe the surfaces with disinfectant as good as possible and anybody coming in here will wear scrubs and disinfect his hands. I want you to be here for him and give support through physical contact. I could see how important that was for him the short time you were at the clinic with him. When will your friend be here?"

"He'll take some hours."

"Okay…until then let's make the environment as sterile as possible."

B.A. tried to ignore the fact that Decker was riding in Face's seat. Right now his only concern was getting back to Face in time…in case...he wouldn't let himself go there.

But when he heard Decker give a little grunt of discomfort he turned to look at the colonel.

"You got a problem, man?"

Decker bit his tongue to avoid making a witty comeback; in the burly sergeant's state of mind that could get him dead. "My arms are going numb…you tied these ropes a bit tight."

B.A. shrugged nonchalantly. "Oh well."

"Well you asked." Decker cringed as the sarcasm just slipped out.

"I can arrange it so your mouth is tied up too, ya know."

Decker did know and so he kept quiet…that is until B.A. went over a bump and the ropes bit into his skin fiercely. "Argh," he gasped.

B.A. was about to lash out at his companion until out of the corner of his eye he saw real pain in the ice blue eyes. Why he cared, he didn't know. Perhaps because in spite of all the bad things he heard about Decker, he had stayed by Face's side in the hospital and Face had trusted him enough with this note and whatever its contents were.

Decker was surprised when B.A. pulled over and without words began to loosen his bonds. He didn't remove them completely, but at least he could feel his circulation returning. "Thank you," he said sincerely as B.A. settled back into his seat.

"Uh-huh," B.A. grunted.

"You know, Baracus…I really do hope Peck will be okay."

B.A. stiffened. "He'll be okay."

Decker frowned as he realized that the larger man was beginning to shake slightly. "Baracus…you allright?"

"He gotta be okay, man…he just gotta."

"He means a lot to you, doesn't he?"

B.A. nodded, but kept his eyes focused out the driver side window as he told the last person he would ever expect to have a heart-to-heart with a story about Face he had never told another living soul before.

"He does, that he does. You know, in the camps, after a couple of months, Murdock was close to losing it, or actually he had, just came back around at times, and Hannibal was frustrated because he knew he had to get us out and soon but no opportunity seemed to show itself, and Face was so weak and beaten to pulp that it was hard to guess his original color, that time Hannibal relied on my strength to get us out when the time came, and it seemed Murdock too held it together somehow because he looked at how strong I was and felt he needed to show some strength too. Some guards seemed to have noticed it and were intend to make me weak but I held out. One morning they returned me to the cage after having beaten and tortured me for over twenty hours. I crawled to the back of the cage and sat up stoically as my teammates tended to my injuries as good as they could. After a short time the guards were back and I felt fear gripping me but then they went straight for the colonel. Then they returned again and I was sure I was shaking with fear but again they went for Murdock, Face tried to stop them and taunt them to take him instead but it didn't work this time. Then we were alone and I knew I didn't need to keep up any front for Face. I slumped to my side curling together and let out a moan. Face was at my side in seconds while he too couldn't do more than crawl at that point. He comforted me as best he could and then it happened, they came back to our cage again and I started shaking all over with fear. Face noticed and positioned himself in front of me but they wanted me. I couldn't hold it together any longer, I begged them not to beat me again and I clung to Face and begged him to not let them take me again. I was finally breaking down in tears and begging for mercy. Face did his best to taunt the guards and after some time they seemed satisfied that they had broken me and took him along. I should have stopped it, should have gone with them instead of letting them take Face but I just couldn't, couldn't take any more. Face had been beaten more than any of us but he was still strong on the inside while I was reduced to a crybaby. I should have never let them take him. I was laying in the cage crying until they brought him back in the evening, barely conscious but clearly not with me. I sat up as they dragged him close and I knew I had to pull it together and be there for him. I owed him that much since he had taken this beating for me. They threw him in and I caught him so he didn't hit the floor in addition, then I sat down with him, cradling his upper body and talking nonsense just to let him know he wasn't alone. He had this haunted look in his eyes that I so hate to see and was shaking all over. By dawn he was getting a bit more coherent and started to focus on me and just as I thought he was getting a clear picture of me and was starting to come out of it he started to whimper and then it turned into sobs and all I could do was to hold him until it subsided and to my surprise he started talking.

_'So afraid'_

_'Don't have to be afraid of nuthin, I'm here.'_

_'They…they beat me…so bad.'_

_'Shh, it's over now, I got ya.'_

_'Thought…thought I would die.'_

He sure looked the part. He told me how he had been afraid to die all alone, without any friendly person around. How it was one of his biggest fears. I held him through the crying and then he calmed down, that or his body just didn't have any energy to waste on crying. He just lay there beside me waiting for whatever came next. If I had not been there I wouldn't have been able to tell if he had been beaten again or not, he didn't look any different than before, all black and blue and bloody. That morning they returned Murdock and Hannibal together. We saw them approaching and Face turned to me and begged me not to tell them of his meltdown. I tried to tell him that I was the one that broke but he insisted that I was the strong one and made me promise. Hannibal and Murdock were thrown inside and we went about our task of supporting one each. None of us ever mentioned a word about what had happened and the men in the surrounding cages too kept their quiet. Some days later our opportunity came and we made a run for it. And now, Face, he may…no he won't …but just in case…I mean, he needs all of us around …the others don't know….what am I even sitting here." BA started up the engine and continued the journey.

Decker had tears in his eyes and he looked to the side to mask them from B.A. He was surprised when the sergeant started to talk again. "One thing I will never get, man, is how you and guys like you could think that we would go an' betray our country. After all we done suffered; don't it prove nothin' about us?"

Decker didn't have an answer and he wasn't sure that B.A. expected one, but the thought played with his mind for the next couple of hours. BA received a call from Hannibal and stopped to blindfold Decker before he drove on for another hour. They didn't speak again until they arrived at the house later. B.A. drove right into the garage that was in the basement of the house and turned off the ignition. He reached back to remove the blindfold but made no move to get out.

"Baracus…we're here."

"Mmm Hmm."

"Well, aren't you going to go inside?" Decker was confused; he had been in such a hurry earlier to get back to his friend.

"Yeah." But he remained still.

"Um…today?"

"In a minute."

Perhaps more unnerving to the colonel was that the sergeant wasn't even annoyed by his line of questioning. "C'mon Baracus…get moving."

"Can't," he said softly.

Decker was getting exasperated. "Why the hell not?" Even that harsh comment didn't seem to ruffle his feathers.

"M'scared."

'Oh brother…I'm a colonel, not a psychiatrist,' Decker thought. "Baracus, look at me." When he failed to comply he tried again and louder. "I said, look at me." This time B.A. turned his head. "You need to go in there…Peck, um Face, needs you."

"I know…but what if…"

Decker tried to get his mind off that train of thought. "What if you get your ass out of this van and we go see about how we can help Peck?" That seemed to do it.

"You got some balls, Decker, talkin' to me that way." B.A.'s lips curled upward slightly into a small smile. "But thanks."

B.A. undid Decker's restraints; he felt he could trust the man at least in the moment. As the duo walked towards the main part of the house B.A. stopped short and grabbed the leaner man by the collar with one hand and made a fist with the other. "By the way if you ever tell anybody that I told you I was scared, Decker's gonna be decked."

"Got it…the first two times today were enough."

"Alright…let's go."

They opened a door and were greeted by Hannibal. "Hi Rod, I'll take you to your room. You have your own bath and we'll bring you enough food but I'll lock you in. Right now we don't have time to be watching our backs."

Hannibal looked terrible and Decker got a bit scared from it. Was Peck really that bad off? He had promised to take care of him. "Okay, but can I see Peck first."

"Not right now. Doc says not too many visitors to keep the risk of infection low. Only he and the team are allowed in and only in scrubs."

"Okay, keep me informed please."

"We will."

Decker was lead to a rather spacious apartment in the basement of the house. The window was tiny with bars and therefore he had no chance to escape. Other than that he had everything he needed, even if it took a while it was a luxurious prison. He made himself comfortable and settled in for the wait.

"How is he really colonel?"

"Weak, all we can do now is pray. Doc says as much physical contact as possible without disturbing him. One of us has to keep Decker fed, I don't want him to see any of the others, especially Murdock."

"Speaking of the fool, how's he holding up?"

"He's trying to be brave, but on the inside he's scared shitless…just like me."

"And me."

They looked at each other with understanding in their eyes before they moved on to the second floor of the spacious house. They clad into scrubs and entered the room. BA had seen Face sick and beaten to the point that he couldn't recognize him again, but he had never seen him this ghostly pale. He had last seen him a few days back before Decker took him to the hospital. He had looked bad then but now he looked five times worse. He was thin and his skin was almost transparent while he had dark circles under his eyes. An IV was connected to his arm and gave him the food and water he needed, if it wasn't for that, BA would have needed to feel for a pulse to know he was alive. Murdock had carefully climbed on the bed next to Face to give as much body contact as possible without disturbing his injuries and had one hand on his head, softly stroking his hair.

Hannibal moved first, he took the chair at Face's other side and took Face's hand in his own. BA stood there unsure of where to sit. He usually would sit at the foot of the bed rubbing Face's legs but with his broken leg, all the bruises and the still swollen knee he thought it would hardly be appreciated. He took a chair to the head of the bed on Hannibal's side instead and laid a hand on top of Murdock's own to give support to both men.

They sat quietly for some time before B.A. remembered the reason why he had taken the trip to get Decker in the first place.

"Hey, colonel," he said softly, "what you want to do with the note?"

Hannibal furrowed his brow in thought. "I honestly don't know. Whatever is it that note, it was awfully important to Face."

"Maybe that means we should read it while he's still…um…you know…with us."

Murdock shot B.A. a horrified look. "How could you?"

Not wanting to upset Murdock further, B.A. simply said, "sorry, man."

"Do we wait until he's awake to read it?" Hannibal quickly asked to change the subject. "Or is it something that may be helpful to us now and that we could use to reach out to him? If only we knew what it was about."

"Decker knows," B.A. offered.

It was Hannibal's turn to shoot B.A. a look.

"Hey…I ain't gonna talk no more if you two keep lookin' at me funny."

Hannibal sighed. "Sorry, B.A. It's just that having my nemesis know something about my own man is hard to swallow."

"This whole damn thing is hard to swallow," Murdock mumbled.

Hannibal and B.A. glanced at each other not liking the desperate sound of Murdock's voice. But while they certainly understood his despair, there was nothing that could ameliorate it except for Face getting better.

Hannibal stood and carefully removed Face's hand from his own. "I guess I know what I have to do."

"What?" Murdock and B.A. asked at the same time.

"I have to have a talk with Decker and see what he can tell me about the note or anything else Face might have said."

"You want me to do it, colonel?" B.A. questioned. "I shoulda gotten more info outta him before."

Hannibal shook his head. "No, sergeant, you did more than your fair share…this is between me and Decker." Hannibal left the room, took a deep breath and started to walk towards Decker's rooms. He knocked before entering and found it odd to knock at a prisoner's door. Decker sat on the couch at the far side of the room.

"Are you alright Rod?"

"I am, if you mean whether I have everything I need. I'm still your prisoner and don't you think for a minute that I won't start hunting you the minute I get free."

"Yeah sure, I wouldn't have expected anything else from you. You will understand though that I have other problems at the moment than to think of you and watch my back, that's the exact reason why you're our guest, not because I took a sudden liking to you."

Decker just snorted. "That was real clever of you, now instead of looking out for me you'll have to watch out for the whole army because they'll be looking for me once we didn't get to the sanatorium and since Peck too escaped they'll know whom to look for."

Hannibal briefly thought of informing Decker that he himself had given the order to those MP's stationed at the sanatorium to leave the place after a thorough check because he would watch over Peck on his own, or at least that was what the MP's thought. Murdock was really good in imitating voices. But Hannibal quickly sobered and remembered why he was here, Decker didn't need that bit of information after all.

"Rod, what is in the note Face gave to you."

"Huh? You think he was in any condition to write? With those hands? If you had developed a little more interest for him you would have known."

"What the hell are you getting at? I couldn't have come to the hospital other than in disguise. I'm talking of the note BA got from you."

"Took rather."

"Whatever, what's in this note."

"You have it, just read."

"I need to know what it is about before I read and wasn't supposed to."

Decker too sobered thinking about the words Peck had spoken. "He asked me to write down his goodbye to his team, in case he wouldn't make it. I told him he could tell you all in person."

"He thought he was going to die?"

"Look at him, who would not think so?"

Hannibal furrowed his brows, "He won't die, you don't have the least idea how tough he is."

"Hey, don't shoot the messenger, he was the one who thought he wasn't going to make it."

Hannibal just turned and left the place, making sure he locked it tightly. He went straight back to Face's room who was still out of it.

"We're not going to read it."


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25

"What's in it?"

"A goodbye to us in case he won't make it, but he will."

Nobody said another word. Hannibal took Face's hand again but got no reaction. They sat, or in Murdock's case laid, there for hours. Evening came and Face hadn't stirred. Over the night they all drifted off. The next morning Hannibal woke from a sensation he felt at his hand. He looked and saw the tiniest movement from Face's hand.

"Face…can you hear me, kid?"

Hannibal's words were enough to stir Murdock and B.A. who stretched themselves awake.

"What's up, man?" B.A. asked.

Murdock took off his cap and smoothed back his hair. "How's Face?"

Hannibal smiled. "He moved…I saw his hand move."

The three men stared intently at Face searching for any other signs of movement…of life…but there was nothing except for the shallow rise and fall of his chest.

They took turns sitting by Face's side and talking to him as the doctor said he might be able to hear and it could help. They tried to speak about lighthearted and normal topics; things were heavy enough without them having to voice it.

Murdock went first. "Guess what, Faceguy. Billy's learned some new tricks."

The pilot went on and on about the imaginary dog until B.A. had enough and decided he better step in before he did something he might regret.

"Hey, Faceman. I been thinkin'…when we get home I'm gonna do some work under the hood of your 'Vette. Bet I can make her sound just like a kitten by the time I'm through."

And when Hannibal decided he couldn't listen to any more car or mechanical talk he took over.

"I've been thinking a lot about my next movie. Maybe it's time for me to hang up my scales and move past the Aquamaniac."

Hannibal had gone back to holding Face's hand as he spoke. About thirty minutes into his soliloquy, he felt it again…a slight squeeze in his palm.

"Face?"

There was another squeeze.

"That's it, kid!" Hannibal enthused causing Murdock and B.A. to come back to the bedside.

Face's eyes fluttered open just long enough for him to mumble, "Decker…want Decker. Need Decker," and then he was out again.

Hannibal physically recoiled as if he had been slugged. They were here doing all they could but he asked for Decker of all people. Had he really felt left behind in the hospital? But he must know that there was no way the team could have been with him.

"Should I get him?"

"No."

"But he's asking for him."

Hannibal sighed. "If Decker comes here Murdock has to hide and I don't think that's what Face wants."

"You think it's still about that note?"

"I don't know Murdock, maybe."

"I'll go get it."

While BA returned to the van the other too continued talking to Face. It went on like this for the rest of the day without Face stirring again but just as they wanted to take turns sleeping on the floor Hannibal felt another light squeeze to the hand he was holding.

"Face, come on Face, wake up."

Another squeeze, this one accompanied by a moan.

"Come on buddy, you slept enough."

Face's eyes fluttered but didn't really open. "Decker?"

"You want Decker or the note?"

This time the eyes opened a fraction but there was no live in it. "Have it?", he croaked out.

"Yes we got it, BA has…."

"I took it from Decker and had it for a moment but then he snatched it back and swallowed it down and is refusing to tell us what was in it, only that you dictated it for him. Sorry Faceman, didn't mean to lose it but you'll have to dictate whatever it was again."

The eyes closed again and they thought he had gone back to sleep when Face spoke again, this time with his eyes closed. "So tired."

"I know kid, I know. You can rest, just try to stay awake a few minutes more each time you wake up."

"Hurts so."

"I'm sorry kid, you'll get better, promised."

This time Face didn't speak again but had gone back to sleep.

"BA, what did you do that for? You know how important that note is to Face and then you go tell him it's lost."

"Gut reaction. This note is his goodbye to us. Do you want him to say goodbye or you want him to stay with us?"

"I told you not to say that."

"No Murdock, BA has a good point here and I think it was a wise decision. Face was so fixed on that note, it is something very important for him, he doesn't want to die before he has said a proper goodbye to all his friends. Now that he knows the note doesn't exist again he has a reason to hold on and get well enough to say his goodbyes, and once he's that much better we'll help him over the rest."

"I still don't like it. We shouldn't lie to Face like that," Murdock sulked.

Hannibal put a hand on Murdock's shoulder. "It's only until we get him back with us captain." In a softer voice he added, "we need him to come back to us."

It hit Hannibal suddenly as he uttered those words; the idea of a life without Face was too much. They had come close to losing him before, but never this close. Mortality was a hard pill to swallow…until this very day some part of him thought that they were all invincible.

Murdock felt Hannibal's hand begin to shake from where it was rested on his shoulder. "You okay, colonel?"

Hannibal 's stomach started twisting into knots and he felt sick. Clasping a hand over his mouth he fled from the room.

"What in the…" B.A. wondered.

"Should we go after him?"

B.A. shook his head causing his gold to rattle slightly. "Nah…give him a minute."

Hannibal needed more than a minute. He made a beeline for the bathroom and was violently sick. It was purely nerves and emotions taking their toll.

Decker heard the sounds of somebody throwing up from right above his room. 'Yuck,' he thought. But then he heard somebody crying. It wasn't just somebody; it sounded like Hannibal.

He knew he shouldn't care, but he found himself feeling sorry for the man who had once been considered a friend. And now despite their differences he had no doubt that John Smith loved his men…especially Peck…as his own children.

Decker worked his way to the top of the staircase. He heard footsteps walk by the door. Before he could pull it back he found himself calling out, "Smith?"

Hannibal stopped in his tracks when he heard Decker's voice. Should he answer? Every fiber of his being said 'no', but still he walked to the door and said, "yeah?"

He was surprised to hear a genuine sounding "How is he?"

"He'll be fine." The answer came out more acidic than he had intended.

"I'm sorry."

"For what?" He couldn't possibly be sorry for the fact that Face would be fine again? Hannibal caught himself noticing that he didn't think very clearly right then.

"For what I said, I know you couldn't have come there and that you care for your men."

"Well, I can be with him now." Hannibal walked away without waiting for an answer. This was Decker after all and Decker was his enemy. The more information he had about them the easier his hunt would be in future. Besides he wasn't used to friendly talking to Decker anymore and he wanted to be with Face. The kid had reacted to his talking, twice. No telling how he would react to his not being there. He quickened his step and was back at Face's side within the minute.

Face slept through the rest of the night without any of the others getting much sleep. In the morning they continued their pattern of talking to him. The doctor checked on him regularly and Hannibal got worried as he noticed the checks were becoming more frequent. When he came again Murdock was talking to Face so Hannibal followed him out the door when he was done.

"Doc, what's going on?"

"Nothing much yet, why?"

"He's getting worse, is he? How are his chances?"

"Why do you think he's getting worse?" The doctor looked somewhat puzzled.

"You're checking on him more often than before."

"Oh, sorry, maybe I should have talked more but I also didn't want to get your hopes up before we have any sure results. I check on him more often because I hope to see some more reaction from him. His vitals slightly improved, I think he's finally getting the rest his body so desperately needs and your talking to him shows effect too. I only hoped he would have shown more awareness by now than the little he did yesterday."

"You mean he's getting better?" Hannibal could have kissed the man right then.

"As I said I don't want to get your hopes up too much. He's still very weak and the improvement is tiny, but it is there. Keep talking to him and keep up the physical contact, he seems to crave it."

"Thanks doc."

"Don't thank me, I didn't do anything, I'm only monitoring. Call me when you see another sign of waking up from him."

"I will." Hannibal's hopes were up now, up in the sky to be exact, and he wasted no time to tell the others.

"You hear that Facey? You'll be fine in no time, trust me."

BA huffed from the other side of the bed, "Trust a crazy fool like you? He ain't that sick."

"Face? Face? Buddy, can you hear me?"

The other two were out of their seats in a flash. "What's it Murdock?"

"I swear I felt him moving his fingers, it was there, I'm sure."

They all watched but for the moment the movement had ceased.

A while later Hannibal took over from Murdock hoping to get another reaction from Face but nothing happened. He talked and stroked the back of Face's hand but Face didn't move again.

"Get some rest colonel, let me sit with him now."

"Just some minutes more BA."

"Come on man, you're tired, you need a break, 'sides it's my turn."

"Okay." Hannibal gave the hand he was holding a last careful squeeze before starting to pull away, but just as he was about to lose contact Face's fingers weakly closed around his.

"Face? Can you hear me kid? I won't let go if you don't want to. I'm here for you kid, come on open your eyes for me."

Face had felt like dying but Decker had swallowed the note and he couldn't go before telling his friends how much they had meant to him. Damn Decker, he had played the concerned only to betray his last wish. It hurt like hell to just lay there and he so wanted the pain to end but now he couldn't just let it end. He had heard voices for a while without being able to make out the words and just recently he had started feeling a hand stroking over his. It felt so good to have that contact and he didn't want to lose it but then the hand pulled away. He tried to hold on but moving his fingers hurt so damn much. He was sure he must be crying but at least the feeling was back.

BA made a dash for the door to call the doctor before returning. Hannibal had gone back to holding Face's hand and stroking over it but he didn't move again.

"Just like before, one tiny movement and that's it, but this time he closed his fingers around mine for a second, it wasn't just a twitching. Come on Face, weak up. We need you, I need you."

Face felt just pain, the voices were still there but more faint now. Anytime he tried to move the pain would become so much that it drowned out the voices.

"No, he's not sleeping deep right now, his vitals have changed. Try for more physical contact, all of you, and talk to him."

Murdock climbed back on the bed and BA rubbed the thigh of his non broken leg while Hannibal continued to rub small circles over the back of his hand.

"Come on kid, wake up, look at us, we all need you."

The bed dipped and he cried out in pain, or at least he thought he cried out. Why did every little movement hurt so much? But then he felt something warm by his side and it felt like heaven. Murdock, that could only be Murdock. And there was some sensation at his leg, BA, that must be BA. They were all here for him. The voices grew louder and louder but still there were no words. He concentrated on the warmth next to him and then he heard it 'need you, we all need you kid.'

They saw the eyelids flutter and talked all at a time to get Face's attention.

"m'here." It was just a whisper and barely audible but it had been there, it wasn't their imagination.

"Yes kid, you're here with us where you belong. Come on, look at us."

"Hurts so, stop."

"Don't cha worry Faceman, the pain will stop, you'll get stronger and then it will stop, promised."

"No…won't…please let me go," he begged weakly.

"Let you go where, muchacho?"

"Can't take it…let me…say goodbye."

Hannibal felt sick again. "You don't mean that, kid."

Face forced his eyes to try and focus on the colonel. "Tired…too tired."

The doctor who had been standing in the corner of the room eyeing the machines looked concerned. Face's pressure was dropping while his heart rate was skyrocketing. He decided to give the lieutenant another minute before he would have to step in.

Hannibal was eye-to-eye with Face. "I know you're tired, but you have to fight."

"Been…fighting…whole life. No more."

They knew that Face's childhood in the orphanage had been hard; not so much from what he had told them but from the way he would dodge questions and the pained expression on his face.

Face was trembling and they could literally see his heart pounding in his chest. But still he kept talking. "Need to…tell you…tell you all…what you mean…"

Murdock put his hands over his ears and began to rock slightly. "No…no…no."

But Face wasn't deterred. "Need tell…what…was in…note."

The doctor stepped forward; he couldn't in good conscious allow this to continue. He didn't know if his patient would make it or not, but he did know that if his vitals got any worse it didn't look favorable. It was also a possibility that it was the pain that was causing his physical and mental stress. There was no way to know for sure, but he had to do something. "That's enough talking for now. You need your rest."

"No…only reason here now…was to say…good-bye."

B.A. pulled Murdock into a hug sensing that the smaller man was about to fall apart completely.

Face shut his eyes, but from the tension in his body they knew he was still with them. Hannibal pulled the doctor aside and looked at the doctor with fear in his eyes. "He's worse?" he whispered.

The physician nodded. "He's getting too worked up. I suggest if you have whatever note it is that he is talking about that you produce it so he can calm down. He's suffering so much that his thoughts are being controlled by the pain.

"Are you saying that he can make it?"

"There are no guarantees, but if I was a betting man I'd say that he just needs reassurance that you all know whatever it is he wants you to know before he can allow himself to truly relax. He thinks that will mean death…but seeing what he has done this far, I think he's stronger than that."

Hannibal was torn on so many levels. On one hand if he produced the note Face would know they had lied to him and might also give up any fight that he had left in him. But, on the other hand, this conversation was taking too big a toll on his system. Was he really on death's door, or was he just in so much agony that he thought he was? He looked to B.A. who had his arms still wrapped around Murdock; both men had their eyes glued on Face. It was up to him to make a decision.

Hannibal looked upward and said a silent prayer that he would do the right thing. It must have been divine intervention when something crashed through the window causing all the occupants of the room to duck for cover. All but Face whose eyes flew open to see a grenade beside him on the bed.

"Grenade…Han'bal…help."

Hannibal was closest but they all reacted at the same time and crashed into each other as Hannibal picked up the grenade and prepared to throw it back out only to stop last minute.

Face looked at him with panic, "Han'bal, please,…don't wanna die." The adrenalin kicking in had helped clear his mind a little and allowed him to think past the pain.

"Relax kid, it's just a stone that was painted like a grenade, see."

He held the painted stone into Face's line of vision. At the same moment they heard a yell from outside. "Timmy, what have you done again?" Followed by a child's voice "But I'm just playing soldier."

They didn't pay any attention to Timmy and his mother again. Face had his eyes closed again but the trembling told them he was still around and the adrenalin rush was leaving his body.

Hannibal took his hand again. He was going to go with the old story up until Face said he doesn't want to die. "Kid, I know you hurt bad now but you just need to allow your body to rest, we're all here with you. While you were sleeping earlier on I went back to Decker wanting to find out what was in your note and he relented and produced it. What he had swallowed was a dummy note. He too wants you to get better. He told me you dictated the note to be handed over in case you die and he'll keep it for now, but it is there should the worst case happen. Now just relax, Decker wants to hand the note back to you and we too don't want to receive a goodbye note, we would rather see you get better every day, you hear kid?"

"It's there?"

"Yeah it's there and now rest, we need you kid, we all need you."

Face sighed and then his eyes closed and his body went limp.

"No!" Murdock was at Face's side an instant wanting to shake him but BA caught him from behind last second.

"Leave me, Face, no. Face."


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26

"It's okay, it's okay, calm down, he's just sleeping. His vitals are getting better, he's relaxing." The doctor actually had a smile on his face while reading Face's vitals.

"He's not…oh god." Murdock went boneless in BA's arms shaking all over.

"Why don't you go sit down for a minute fool?" BA gently guided Murdock to a chair in the corner of the room and a bit away from the bed.

The doc did a quick check up of Face and after he was satisfied turned around and ushered Hannibal over to the other two team mates. "Colonel Smith, I believe you did the right thing. His vitals are improving fast, given that they were off the chart a moment ago that doesn't mean that he's doing well now but at least it shows that he's deeply relaxed and getting the rest he so desperately needs. Now, none of you got much rest since you came here and from the look of things I won't get any of you to leave this room. Why don't we see about organizing some bunk beds or mattresses so you can take turns sleeping while being close to him?"

They all nodded, lost in their thoughts. Hannibal was the first to regain some control over his emotions. "Doc, why is he in so much pain?"

"Well, I wouldn't want to change with him. He wasn't only propelled through the air several meters to land in the dirt but it happened with a great force. That must have been one hell of an impact and I'm surprised his leg is the only broken bone. What hurts most now is all the bruises coupled with laying in one position for long. If you consider his general condition and the fact that I can't risk any strong painkiller until he's stronger you can imagine how he feels. I'm glad he's out of it and relaxed now. Looking at the deep bruising along his chest and ribcage breathing alone must be hell."

Later that evening Hannibal and B.A. had finally drifted asleep on their cots, but Murdock lie wide awake. Finally, deciding it was useless to even try to sleep, he got up and sat in the chair by Face's side. 'Oh Face,' he thought as he watched his best friend. 'Please don't scare Billy and I like that aver again.'

Face came back to awareness feeling as if he was being watched. He forced his eye open to see Murdock's brown eyes intently staring at him. "Mur…dock?"

Murdock nearly jumped out of his skin. "Hey, buddy."

"Hey," Face rasped. "M'sorry."

Murdock raised his eyebrows in confusion. "What for?"

"For worrying you and Billy."

'But I didn't say that out loud,' Murdock thought. But he didn't have to; he and Face seemed to be able to communicate nonverbally.

"M'gonna be okay," Face murmured as his eyes slid shut again. "I promise."

Murdock sighed with relief. Face had yet to make a promise to him that he wasn't able to keep. 'I'm going to hold you to that, Face.'

"I know," came the weak reply.

Murdock shook his head in amazement before making his way back to his cot. Now that he knew Face would be okay, he was suddenly exhausted.

True to his word, Face started to show drastic improvement over the course of the week. He remained awake for longer periods of time and his temperature returned to near normal and stayed that way. And while the pain was bad, he now was in the right frame of mind to deal with it. But there was one thing bothering him…and that was Decker.

Face thought he remembered Hannibal saying something about Decker wanting him to get better and giving him back the note himself. But where was Decker? There had been no mention of the colonel and Face couldn't remember much of anything that happened after writing his good-bye note to the team.

Face had grown fond of Decker during the time they spent together. The older man had made him feel relatively safe when the team was gone…and few others would have been able to do so. He had remained by his side when he could have easily bailed.

But Face was also no fool; he realized that once this mess was over they would go back to being enemies. Still, he was surprised that he dropped out of the picture completely.

One afternoon Face asked Hannibal, "where's Decker?"

Hannibal flinched; he didn't know why it made him jealous that Face would ask about Decker. His lieutenant had no idea that the man was right below them and for some reason he had wanted to keep it that way.

Face detected that he had somehow made Hannibal uncomfortable.

"Please tell me nothing bad happen to him. Did I do something?"

"Nothing happened to him and while you can be dangerous when you're out of it you were way too weak to be of any danger."

"Good, so…where is he then?"

"Why are you asking of Decker?"

There was still this irritated tone in Hannibal's voice that made Face feel like he was doing something wrong but he didn't know what. "I just want to know, he cared for me all the time at the hospital and later too, you told me he wanted me to get better." 'and he still has my note' he mentally added.

"We cared for you too." Hannibal himself didn't like the way this had come out and also not the way Face flinched at his hard words.

"I know…I'm just…"

"Sorry kid, sorry, I didn't mean it to come out that way. I don't even know why but I feel….ah, never mind, I think Decker and me have been enemies for far too long."

"He didn't leave me."

The statement hung in the air for a while, Hannibal deliberately waited before saying anything to get his emotions under control and not say the wrong thing again.

"We did the best we could but it was dangerous to come to the military hospital you were in."

"I know, I wasn't saying that. I mean, he could have left me to the staff but he stayed. He's not one of you but he did his best to get me through my nightmares. I somehow felt safe with him."

This time Hannibal chose not to answer since he was sure nothing good would have come out.

"So…you know where he is?"

"He's ermm…our guest."

"Our guest? You mean he came with us? That's nice of him…. but dangerous for his career." Face was feeling proud that Decker cared so much to even come along and make sure he was okay, but then again, why had he not come to see him yet? The doc had allowed Edna and Charles to see him yesterday.

'Kid, I know you have blue eyes but I didn't think you're that blue eyed.' "He's not here on his own wish."

Face paled as realization hit. "You mean…you did…oh no, we can't do that Hannibal, That's a real crime, we're not criminals."

"Calm down kid, he's having his own apartment in the basement, he's not lacking anything. Consider it a holiday for him."

"Hannibal, you have to let him go. I don't want to be responsible for that, please let him go."

"Not until you're fit for travel. We have him here so he wouldn't come after us. Soon as you're fit he can go."

"No, I can't have that on my conscience. Let him go, please."

"Face…"

"No, please, just let him go, please. He was good to me and you kidnap him. I want to see him."

"No."

"Hannibal!"

Hannibal sighed, "Face look, he's downstairs, he's not lacking a thing but he doesn't know where he is and we need to protect our host, and Murdock. I can't bring him up here. He might recognize something that could compromise their freedom. "

"Then just let him go, you can drop him in a big town or something, please. And he still has my note."

"It's too dangerous to let him go now. What if he somehow finds his way back here?"

"How? If you don't send him home straight the chances are close to nothing. It's better than to have the whole army searching for him, and us."

"They won't miss him, officially he's with you in a sanatorium."

"Ever stopped to think he might be in contact with Crane just like we are? If he doesn't call in for a week they will sure search for him."

Hannibal could kick himself, he really hadn't thought of that.

"Okay, we'll let him go, or rather BA will drop him off." Sure BA had taken a scenic route to get here and will take the same to go back. While they were only about two hours away from Edna and Charles place they had taken about five hours to get here and Decker was blindfolded long enough to lose all orientation and think they went straight instead of circling back.

"Take my note from him please, and tell him I thank him for all he's done for me."

"Okay, don't worry kid." One day he would have to tell Face the truth about that note but for now it was a good way to avoid telling him that they lied.

The doc wanted BA to bring back some things from his clinic and BA decided that it was as good a place as any to drop Decker. He removed his blindfold and restrains some way before their destination when he was sure Decker wouldn't know the way he took, it was already getting dark too. Decker joined him up front but they rode in silence. Close to their destination they had to cross through a small forest and came across some fires in the woods. BA stopped the van and they walked into the woods to see if it was a bushfire. As they came closer they heard voices and decided to better be careful. They crept close and as soon as they could see the people BA took Decker by the arm and pulled him back.

"What?" Decker hissed.

"Move it." BA made a beeline back to the van and took off.

"What's going on Baracus?"

"That's Lehmann and the two goons that escaped us, they're forming a new group."

"What?"

"Long story." BA grabbed the phone and called Hannibal. After quickly relaying what they had found to his colonel, he asked, "what you want us to do man?"

"Go back and keep an eye on them. Murdock and I will head your way now."

"What about the Faceman?"

Hannibal chewed at his lip for a moment before answering. "He'll be safe here with the doc, Edna, and Charles. Now, where are you guys?"

B.A. gave him the best directions that he could before hanging up. "Okay, Decker, here's the deal. We gonna go back and keep an eye on them creeps. I ain't gonna have time for any nonsense so you better not try anythin' funny."

Decker nodded. "You have my word." And he meant it; if there is one thing he hated more than the A-Team it was criminals out to do no good. At least the A-Team seemed to help others while being on the run.

By the time they got back to the clearing, the fires had been put out and Lehmann and company were gone. "Damn," B.A. cursed, picking up the phone yet again. "Maybe they didn't leave yet."

But it was a long shot seeing as it had been thirty minutes since the last call. Sure enough, the doctor confirmed that Hannibal and Murdock had left. And while there was a phone in Charles' pick-up, for some reason it wasn't getting reception.

"If you got any ideas, Decker, I'm all ears."

Decker sighed. "Smith is the one with the plans, isn't he?"

"Yeah…but they ain't always good ones so I'll take anythin' you got."

"I think our only option is to work our way back toward the clinic and hope we intersect them. I'll keep trying the phone and maybe we'll get lucky."

"Luck is somethin' we are way overdue for if you askin' me."

Eventually they did get lucky and Hannibal picked up the phone, but it had taken close to an hour and a half. Little did they know that Lehmann's group was minutes away from making a surprise visit with Face.

"What do you mean they are gone? We're only about thirty…erm…three hours and thirty minutes away. Okay, go on to the clinic and see if you can find anything suspicious, keep an eye out." Hannibal had almost let the real time slip, now that there was no emergency there was no need to give away too much information to Decker.

"Murdock, we have some three hours to kill, let's head to Edna and Charles place to see if anything has been going on there."

"I can see some cars in the distance."

"You think the Colonel and Murdock are already coming back?"

"I doubt mom. The cars are too many. I never saw that much traffic since we came here." Henry looked out of the window worried. "I'll go get Bill."

Bill, their current host, was also worried but couldn't place what was going on. The cars seemed to slow while approaching the house but kept advancing. He decided to inform the doctor who was with Face.

"Yeah, I can see them from the window. Doesn't look like anything official."

"Let me see."

"How? You want us to bring the window to the bed? Because you're sure not going to get up."


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27

"It sounds like trouble and I have to protect you all."

"Sure Face, let us protect you for the moment, okay?"

"You don't understand, you don't have my training, besides Hannibal is going to skin me alive if I let anything happen to the people here. Help me to sit up then I should be able to see."

"The fact that you need help to sit up speaks volumes, don't you think?"

"Uhm, doc? This really smells like trouble. They are beginning to circle the house, even though they take their time."

This time Face didn't wait for help but just pushed himself up. That was the plan anyway, had Bill not caught him and pushed him the rest of the way to a sitting position he would have collapsed back on the bed. Even so it took him a moment to clear the fog in his head before he was able to see anything.

"Damn, they're not friendly for sure. Where is everybody and what weapons do we have?"

"Edna, Charles and Henry are down, we're here, Timmy and my wife are on the other side of the house. I don't keep weapons around."

"Great, we have one handgun to go against a horde of jerks. I need to get out of this bed."

"No you don't."

"Yes I do. Do you have a wheelchair for me?"

"You need to lie down. Let's just listen to what they have to say, maybe they just want money."

"No, they want more, they don't look like thief's. How far are they with circling the house? Any chance to get to the chopper without being seen?"

"No, they have reached that side."

"Damn. Bill, get everybody up here so we're together."

"We have a panic room in this house."

"Where is it and how big?"

"In the basement. It will be a little crowded but we'll all fit in."

_"Hey everybody in there. Come out."_

"Showtime. Bill, you and the doc help me in the chair and over to the window so I can do the talking. Then go collect everybody in this panic room. When they're all inside come back for us but tell them to keep the door closed if they are not sure it's us alone."

_"Anyone home? I'll give you five seconds before coming in to see for myself."_

"Hurry."

Face gasped as he was placed in the chair but the adrenalin helped keep the pain at bay. The doc quickly opened the window and Face recognized whom he was dealing with.

"Lehmann, what do you want?"

_"You have the Millers in there and they have something that belongs to me."_

"Oh yeah? And what would that be? Your spare panties?"

_"No, my diamonds. And I want them back."_

"And why do you think they have them?" In a quieter voice he added "Gather some supplies doc, this could take a while. I'm trying to stall for time until Bill is back and then we have to hurry to get to the basement ourselves, we're at the second floor."

While Face talked Lehmann relented a story of how he had heard rumors that the son of the Millers had found the diamonds and brought them along to safety.

"That's just what it is…rumors."

_"Produce the Millers and I'll decide that for myself."_

"They're not here," Face lied. 'Well, it's party true…they aren't in the room with me,' he thought.

_"I think we'll just come in and see for ourselves."_

'Damn…think.' But thinking was getting increasingly difficult as his energy was waning and the pain increasing. "My friends and I have you covered. You try to come in and we'll take you down."

_"Nice try, Peck. That's right…we know who you are. And we also know that the van you travel in isn't here. I'm willing to bet that your friends are in it looking for me."_

'Double damn.'

Bill reentered the room and whispered, "They're in the room…let's go."

Face held up his pointer finger indicating to give him a moment. "I wouldn't take that bet if I were you."

_"Good thing you're not me. You have one minute to send them out, or we're coming in."_

"Come on, Face. We don't have much time," the doctor said.

"Exactly…we won't make it. I can't walk and this chair can't do the stairs. You two go."

"No way," Bill protested. "We'll carry you."

Face shook his head. "I have a plan…you have to trust me. Go…now."

_"Thirty seconds."_

The doctor and Bill looked at each other unsure of what to do. One thing was sure…they would never be able to carry Face to the basement in such a small time window. Plus, Face sounded so sure of himself and he was more of an expert in these matters than they were.

"Go," Face insisted again. "When the guys get back just tell them Face said Oklahoma 78…they'll know what it means." In 1978 they had taken a job in Oklahoma that involved using a treasure map. Face had that piece of paper ingrained on his brain and luckily B.A. actually happened to keep it in his glove compartment to this day. All he had to do was follow the map, stall for some time, and pray that the team got there quickly.

_"Ten seconds."_

Face watched as the two men reluctantly fled the room and then yelled. "Okay, Lehmann…you win. The Millers told me where the diamonds are and I can take you to them."

_"Glad you have come to your senses."_

'No, my senses must be severely impaired by the drugs for me to be doing this,' Face thought. "Somebody will have to come get me…I'm not exactly mobile."

_"Ah, yes, I guess you can thank me for that."_

"Thank you," Face answered sarcastically. 'And you can thank me when you are locked up for good.'

"I'm sending my associates in now. You are outnumbered, so don't try anything."

Face almost laughed; he was finding it difficult just to remain upright in the chair. The only thing he would be trying to do would be staying conscious.

He soon heard the front door open and close and then steps downstairs.

"Peck, come out, now."

'Damn, they're stupid than I thought.' "I would love too, really."

"Come out."

"Lehmann, where did you find those two?"

"What's going on in there, you two, go in but be careful." He pointed at two more men and they made their way inside.

"What are you standing around here?"

"He's not coming out."

"He can't walk you fool."

"That's what he said but the bad guys never say the truth."

"Oh man, we're the bad guys here. Peck, which room are you in?"

"Basement." Face tried hard not to giggle.

The first two started moving.

"Where are you going?"

"To the basement, didn't you hear him?"

"Oh no, this can't be. Look you two, go out and stand watch…but make sure you look in the right direction."

The other two made their way upstairs. They didn't know who else was around so it took them a while.

"Finally, I thought you would never make it."

"You'll soon stop the jokes."

'Could be true.'

"Now let's move, you have a wheelchair or something?"

"No, you got to carry me."

"Great." One of the goons took Face in a fireman's carry and Face let out a scream of pain. He barely was conscious by the time the goon tossed him to Lehmann's feet.

"We have to help him."

"But how?"

"I don't know Bill."

"But I know, we'll call his friends to come back."

"The phone will be dead for sure."

"No, it's a satellite phone, made for this room." Bill got out the device and started to dial.

"This can't be, come on."

"What's it Bill?" Edna was more than worried.

"They're not picking up."

"Keep trying."

It took close to thirty minutes but finally he had Hannibal on the line and quickly relayed the information.

"Damn, Murdock, let's go. Lehmann has passed us and is at the house. How the hell did he find it? Face is going it alone. He says 'Oklahoma 78' do you know what he wants?"

"Oklahoma…the treasure map case."

"Oh no, not that stupid stunt again. Try to get BA. Now, how do we keep you and Decker from meeting?"

Before answering Hannibal's question, Murdock dialed B.A. and explained the situation. B.A. had the same reaction Hannibal had about the map, though both men understood Face hadn't had many other options. They agreed that the pick-up would stop where it was as to avoid them passing each other and then they would travel together towards the house. Plus it was safer to work together than to try and go it apart.

Once he hung up, Murdock turned to Hannibal. "I think I have an idea. Maybe I should leave you here and drive back to the house."

Hannibal pulled a cigar out of his pocket. "Alone?" he questioned skeptically. "Are you crazy?"

"Certifiable. I live in a mental ward, remember?" Murdock teased before continuing. "But really, I could park a distance away and make a run for the chopper. Chances are they'll be gone before we arrive anyway…this way we'll have air support and I can track them."

Hannibal nodded slowly, as the idea started to sink in and make sense. "And I wouldn't have to explain you to Decker."

"He'll wonder how you got out here by yourself…," Murdock started.

"Let him wonder. The only thing I care about is getting Face back." Hannibal's expression was one of extreme concern. "He's still recovering and in no condition to go against Lehmann by himself."

"And he won't if we have anything to say about it." Murdock pointed to the door. "Now get out." Realizing that he had just ordered his commander to leave, he hastily added, "please."

Hannibal saluted with a grin. "Yes, sir." He watched as Murdock drove away and stood leaning against a tree to wait for the van."

Murdock parked his vehicle a half-mile from the house and hid it in some bushes. By the time he walked the short distance he saw Face being carried toward a car. He appeared to be unconscious, but if they were bothering to take him he must still be alive. He waited for them to all inhabit their cars before heading toward the chopper. He gave them a head start so as not to be spotted before starting up the bird.

"Hang on, Facey…help is on the way."

"Damn, why did you have to treat him that roughly, how is he supposed to lead us to the diamonds if he's out of it. We have to be gone by the time his friends return."

"I'm sorry."

"Yeah, your sorry wouldn't help, let's move to our hideout for now, we'll return when he's up to leading the way. You sure checked all the house?"

"Sure, not a living soul in there."

"Something's not right here. Why would they leave a sick and injured team member alone to fend for himself and how did he make it in the chair by the window?"

"I don't know but we checked the house twice, nobody is in there. We took over two hours, believe me, we checked the whole compound thoroughly."

"Let's go."

"Smith."

"Decker."

"So we meet again, how did you get here without car?"

"Took a morning jog. BA, floor it, we have a Lt to rescue and a couple of people to protect." BA was already driving as fast as possible but Hannibal just wanted a reason to ignore Decker's question. As they traveled down the road his and BA's thoughts were hanging in the past, remembering the stupid stunt Face had pulled off in Oklahoma in 78. He had been so lucky then that BA had kept the treasure map up until today as a kind of talisman, although he would never admit it.

They had been hired to find a wealthy business man's missing six year old daughter. The kidnappers had left a detailed map leading them to phone booths around the state that made a star shaped pattern. They had to answer the phones at specified times leaving various amounts of money or they threatened to kill the little girl.

"You okay, colonel," B.A. asked, startling Hannibal back to the present.

"Um…yeah…just thinking."

"Bet I know 'bout what?" B.A. paused before answering his own question. "Oklahoma."

Hannibal nodded but said nothing more.

Finally Decker's curiosity got the best of him. "What happened in Oklahoma?"


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28

Hannibal and B.A. exchanged glances; how much should they let him in?

Deciding that it wouldn't do any harm as long as he didn't mention Murdock, Hannibal started to explain. "In Oklahoma my lieutenant did something very stupid, and I can't remember being more proud of him." Hannibal turned back to look at his fellow colonel. "That is until he saved _your _captain's life."

Hannibal once more got lost in the memories as he told the tale.

_"Hannibal…I have a bad feeling about this," Face complained as they sped down the highway. "This is the last spot on the map…if we drop off the money they have no reason at all to keep Lily alive."_

_"I know, kid. But I don't see another way. We have to hope they keep their word."_

_"Ah…great…because bad guys always tell the truth."_

_"Faceman's right."_

_"If either of you have a better idea then let's have it."_

_Nobody did; they would just have to wait to see the girl as promised and then swap the final ransom amount for Lily. Face was the one elected to do the swap. The closer he got to the tiny victim the more he could see and sense her fear. He could also see the murderous glint in her captor's eyes. _

_At that moment he knew what he had to do; no child would die in front of his eyes. Pretending to trip, he threw the bag with all his might at the goon who lost his grip on Lily._

_"Run!" Face yelled at her. "Run!"_

_B.A. sprinted toward the child, scooped her up in his arms, and had her back to the van safely. It was then that their attention turned back to Face. The goon had managed to get the upper hand and had a knife to Face's throat._

_"Stay back or he's gonna die, you drive." He tossed Face the keys and climbed in the car behind him. The team had no chance than to watch them drive away. They hadn't even dropped off Lily when her father received the first call._

_"Tell them to follow the same map backwards if they want to see their friend again." He hung up before the man could ask what had happened but he was soon enlightened when the team returned with Lily and sans Face._

_Ten days later they were standing at the same place they had been standing before, waiting to swap Face. While the goon had used the same map he had changed the time plan, one phone boot per day. Face was still sitting in the goons Jeep and they could see he was tired and had clearly been beaten. When the goon was satisfied that all was clear he signaled Face to get out. It was the classic arrangement. There was a bridge and each party stood to either side. The goons car was parked a bit down the road while BA had brought the van very close to the bridge. Face was told to move while BA moved toward him with the requested sum of money but Face was walking so slow he almost made no progress. Hannibal was beginning to get very worried about his condition but put it aside for then. He waited until BA was a little closer before giving Face their silent command to duck down but instead he shouted 'no' and turned back trying to haul himself at the goon. Unfortunately said goon was faster, he was big with harassing little kids but a coward when it came to adults with real guns. He run back to his Jeep and jumped inside. _

_With Face not ducking low but screaming and turning around the team couldn't shoot, he was right in their line of fire. BA run back to get the car while the others just stood and watched. Face run towards the car while it sped in his direction. Instead of jumping out of the way he jumped and grabbed the windscreen of the Jeep. The team all pilled in the van and joined BA who was after the other car in a second. Unfortunately they could still not shoot without risking to hit Face._

_It looked as if the goon would be able to shake Face but he hung on. But then he started moving towards the driver's side._

_"Has he totally lost it? What's this stupid kid doing, he'll break his neck."_

_The car swerved more and more as Face was covering the goons sight and threatened to shake him off. Suddenly Face swung his legs over the side of the hood._

_"Is he totally craz?, I'm going to kill this kid as soon as I have him back safely."_

_Face hung on to the windscreen with his legs flying along beside the car. Then he let go and everybody in the van held his breath. They thought he would soon wind up wrapped around a tree but were surprised when instead of falling straight he grabbed onto the goon and brought him down with quickly stopped the van and knocked out the goon that was on the floor but attempting to crawl away while Hannibal moved right next to Face who was laying on the street unmoving._

_After a first check up he found him still alive and started to vent. "what kind of stupid, careless, irresponsible…." Looking into the agonized eyes of his lieutenant he stopped short. Face had broken an arm, a leg and a couple of ribs and seemed in a bad condition even before that. All the time as Hannibal checked him and BA and Murdock tied up the trash he kept repeating "need to get back, locations on the map."_

_"No kid, it's over we have Lily."_

_"No, get back, need to."_

_When the pain died down he was able to communicate a little clearer and it turned out that the goon had kidnapped ten more kids. He had stashed one in an empty house by each of the assigned phone boots. He had taken Face to each of them and told him how he was going to kill that particular kid. His plan was to get the money for Face and then shoot him before returning to kill the kids one by one. He had also threatened to kill his Team members if he tried anything stupid. Face jumped the car to help all the kids and in the end he was able to locate every house and get all kids back to safety._

Decker shook his head in disbelief. "Damn…that kid of yours is crazier than you, Smith."

B.A. had a comment about Murdock being the real crazy team member on the tip of his tongue, but quickly swallowed it back.

"Look who's talking, Rod. I seem to recall you going along with some of my crazy plans back in the day."

The two silver haired gentlemen shared a brief smile of remembrance before coming back to the present.

"Is Peck always this reckless?"

That question could easily have been read as a negative by the other team members, except for the harmless way in which it was asked.

"Yeah, man…he is," B.A. answered. "But reckless ain't the right word."

"Selfless…that's what he is," Hannibal added. "Ironic, isn't it? Appearances would point to the exact opposite, but the truth is he has always risked his life if other people are in risk of losing their own."

"But why?" Decker wondered out loud not expecting an answer.

But Hannibal decided to fill him in. Probably because if the van was silent he would start thinking too much about how bad off Face was. "Face never had a family before he left for Nam. He went there not really caring if he came back alive or not. Sometimes, in the early days, I think he even wanted to die. And now, I think it is just such a part of who he is…he follows his gut. His instinct is to put himself last."

B.A. grunted his agreement. "But now we puttin' him first."

Face woke to a glass of water being splashed into his face. He was aching all over and couldn't remember what had happened.

"Wake up, we don't have all day, boss wants his diamonds."

'Oh yeah, that.' Now he remembered. His plan had been to lead the bad guys around according to the map in his memory and hope that the guys would get the hint and be at one of the places when he arrived. Now as he lay there with water dripping from his nose he couldn't remember why he had thought this would be a good plan. How was he going to get the bad guys to go along? They weren't even in Oklahoma in the first place, he didn't even know where he was at all.

Another splash hit him and he opened his eyes spluttering water.

"Ah, finally. Where's the darn diamonds pal?"

Face looked around. He was in a house, looked like a basement. He was on the floor and he was in a world of pain and it was really difficult to think.

"What? Cat got your tongue? Pat, see if you can wake him up properly." Said Pat was a bad guy with a baseball bat in his hand which he brought down hard over Face's ribcage. He yelled in pain at the sudden unexpected attack and curled up on his side.

"Where are the diamonds?"

"Oklahoma."

"What?"

Damn, why had he said that. "In Oklahoma."

"Where exactly?"

"Got to….to…lead you."

"Just tell us pal."

"I can't, need to lead you."

"Well. Just tell us where you would lead us."

"No, it's according to a map in my head."

"Oh man, then draw it. Pat, get him a pen and paper."

"No, no that's not how this is supposed to work."

"Supposed to work? He's playing us."

'Damn, brain, come on, start working.'

Murdock had followed the car in a distance by crossing over the area and trying not to look suspicious. Luckily for him the car was parked outside so he didn't only have an area but an exact address.

'Hang tight Face and don't try to off yourself as you did in Oklahoma, trust your team instead.'

"Hannibal? I've got a location for you."

Hannibal scribbled the address on a piece of paper. "Nice, M…," Hannibal almost said Murdock but quickly covered by saying, "man," instead. He told B.A. where they were headed and the larger man practically put his size 12 Converse clad foot to the floor.

"Who was that?" Decker asked.

"That's none of your concern."

Decker opened his mouth to protest, but snapped it shut. It wasn't worth the fight; Smith wasn't going to tell him anyway.

B.A. made a turn down a dirt road. "What we gonna do when we get there, colonel?"

Hannibal blew a puff of smoke out of his mouth from the cigar he was half-way through. The cloud gave him an idea. "I think we're going to smoke them out."

"Huh?" the other two men questioned at the same time.

"We're outnumbered, and that's putting it mildly," Hannibal began to explain. "We have the smoke bombs in our supply kit…"

"You are the first people I have ever met that carry smoke bombs in your vehicle," Decker interjected.

"Yeah, well we wouldn't have to if dumb people like yourself weren't chasing us for something we didn't do," Hannibal snipped.

Before Decker could respond, B.A, jumped back in stating the obvious, "but Faceman's inside too."

Hannibal sighed and snuffed out his cigar. "I know. But I have a bad feeling that some smoke inhalation will be the least of his worries if we don't get him away from Lehmann as fast as we can."

"You gonna tell the f…" B.A. almost said fool, but caught himself and changed it to, "the fellow in the sky?"

B.A. calling Murdock a 'fellow'…B.A. even using the word 'fellow'. Hannibal would have laughed if the situation hadn't been so serious. "Yeah…we're going to need all the help we can get."

Even with B.A.'s heavy-footed driving, it still took close to an hour to find the location.

"Joe, I'm telling you, he's playing us. How should the diamonds have gotten to Oklahoma? We watched the Millers all the time, they didn't go there."

"We didn't watch them, we watched the tracker signal, one of them could have gone to Oklahoma for all I know."

Pat chuckled, "That tracker worked like a charm, good thing ladies take their purse everywhere."

"Sure, but we should have tracked all of them, what if this Henry guy went to hide them?"

"The way he's limping he wouldn't have gotten to Oklahoma."

"Oh man, ever heard of cars? I don't think he would have walked there."

"But driving a car with this ankle?"

"He could have called a taxi, doesn't make any difference."

"But the time was too short to get them there."

"Hmmm, you have a point there." They both turned back to Face who could have lived with being forgotten for a while longer.

Face hoped that the panic room had not been spotted. "Just her purse was in the house. Where do you think they are now? We found the tracker long time."

"Damn, nobody was in the house, only him."

"Which I still find odd. Something isn't right here."

"So, you gonna draw that map for us pal?"

"I can't."

"Why not?"

"I…I need to see certain landmarks to remember where to turn." There, that sounded convincing, at least to him.

"Pat, help his memory some."

Again the baseball bat came down at various parts of his body. When he still didn't draw the map and Pat took a swing on his broken leg Face's eyes rolled back and he went limp.

"Damn, how is he gonna tell us if you put him out?"

"Didn't think he would go out."

"Yeah, you don't think much at all, is it?"

"Only two perimeter guards? They are careless. Okay. Here's the plan. BA, you take out the left one, I take the right one. Decker, as soon as they are out you get close to the big window at the side and throw the first smoke bomb in, we'll follow up with one each through the side windows before BA blocks the back door. When they start storming out our friend in the air will make sure they don't turn back while we go in, rat out the remaining thugs and get Face. Questions?"

"No."

"Decker?"

"No."

"Then let's go."

When Face came around next, thanks to a bucket of water, Joe and Pat were still there and Lehmann had also joined the party.

"Are you now ready to draw?"

"I told you I can't." Face was shivering in the cold basement so that his voice vibrated. Being soaked to the bone didn't help much too.

"You tried everything?" That was Lehmann.

"I could try again." That was Pat.

"No, I need this diamonds and you might kill him, he doesn't look like he can take much more. We need some medical help here, Joe, go get the truth serum."

'Oh no, not that.' Face was desperately trying to come up with something to get out of his predicament but he couldn't think clear. Before he or any of the others had a chance to do something there was a commotion on top of them.

"Watch him, I'm going to see what's up." With that Lehmann left too. That left Face with only Pat and he knew he had to do something now. Another chance like this was unlikely. Pat was right in front of him smiling smugly and playing with his baseball bat. Face kicked out his leg as hard as his waning energy allowed and caught him in the knee. Pat went down withering in pain and Face used his chance to crawl through the open door and towards the steps leading out of the basement. He only made it to the second step when a now also crawling Pat had him by the ankle of his broken leg.

"Ahhh!" Face screamed. He tried to pull away but the pain was too great and the edges of his world began to grey yet again.

Joe came flying back down the stairs holding a syringe in his hand.

"What's going on up there?" Pat asked, still holding onto his barely conscious victim.

"We're being smoked out of here!"

Face smiled in spite of his agony…the team had come for him.

"Help me get him up the stairs and out the back door," Pat ordered.

"Not until we give him some of this," Joe sneered and then jabbed the needle into Face's arm and pushed the plunger.

Face was hurting so much elsewhere that he didn't even feel the prick. And as soon as the two men lifted him up he was out cold once more. He wasn't aware of the complete and utter chaos evolving around him.

Hannibal's plan for once went without a hitch. As the bad guys went fleeing from the house, Murdock held them at bay by hovering over them so closely that they couldn't see straight. Hannibal and Decker, after throwing their bombs, collected as many teary-eyed men as they could and kept them at gun point.

But it was B.A. who had the honor of collecting Face from the last two thugs to exit from the back door dragging his friend between them. It took two punches, done simultaneously, and they dropped like bricks. Luckily, B.A. was able to scoop Face up before he hit the ground and carried him directly to the safety of the van.

Once Face was situated, B.A. joined the others and they set to work tying up the diamond thieves…giving extra attention to the head honcho Lehmann.

"You hurt my boy," Hannibal poked at Lehmann's chest with his gun. "I should kill you right now."

Lehmann called his bluff. "Go ahead…I dare you."

Hannibal's eyes flashed as he put the barrel against Lehmann's temple and cocked back the trigger.

"Smith...don't do it," Decker said from behind.


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter 29

Hannibal lowered his gun. "Don't worry…death would be too good for this jerk. Life in prison…now that's more like it."

Hannibal holstered his gun and then gave a thumbs-up sign to Murdock still lingering in the air. The plan was for Murdock to alert the authorities and remain put until they arrived.

When Hannibal, B.A., and Decker made it back to the van Face was starting to stir. But they had no idea about the truth serum pumping through his veins.

"Hi there kid, come on open your eyes, that's it. Come on Face."

He opened his eyes but they kept rolling to the side. It seemed he had problems to focus.

"Kid, kid try to focus, come on, tell us what happened. No, you don't go back to sleep. Come on Face."

For a moment he seemed to focus on Hannibal and he started to giggle.

"Face, what happened?"

This time he seemed to focus on BA before he started to giggle again.

"Face, how are you?"

"I'm fine, now that you came, not that I ever doubted, I knew you would come, you're my family, your all I have and then the map and Oklahoma and I didn't even know where I was, I still don't know but it seemed like a good idea and then…" Face kept rumbling on without making much sense, especially since it was hard to make out the words between all the giggles, until his eyes rolled back into his head again.

"Damn, BA check the other arm." Hannibal had already pushed up Face's sleeve at his side and BA, sitting at the other side, joined in.

"Here it is, damn."

"Here is what? Can someone talk to me?"

"Here is the injection site Decker, they injected him with sodium pentothal."

"And you see that from the injection site?"

"No, I see that from the reactions he's showing, I only wanted to see if there's an injection site to be sure."

"But they could have given him anything."

"No. It's not the first time and he has heavy and unique reactions to that specific drug, reactions I don't like at all."

"Could you be a bit more specific Smith." Decker was getting irritated, they shouldn't treat him like thin air.

Hannibal sighed. "First he'll behave like drunk and be extremely talkative, far more than usual, without making any sense. It's depressing his respiratory system and he simply forgets to breathe between all the talking if we don't remind him all the time. When his body has enough he'll go out and his body will take over breathing. That is the first phase, after that he'll sleep for days and be vomiting anytime he comes to and have the mother of all headaches. The problem is his respiratory system, he could end up with pneumonia seeing that he had problems just recently and also inhaled quite some smoke. It also hurt to take deep breaths before and looking at him I would say he was beaten badly. His leg looks twisted too."

"What do we do?"

Hannibal found it odd that Decker spoke as if he belonged to the team but didn't say anything. "We take him back to the doc to get him checked over and remind him to breathe as soon as he opens his eyes."

BA took the hint and started driving. It didn't even take a full minute before Face came too again.

"Face, breathe."

"Hannibal…good to see you and BA but where's Murdock…."

"Stop talking kid, just breathe, deep breaths."

It didn't help, Face kept rumbling on about Murdock and how he missed him before he was out again.

"Captain Murdock, he talked about him as if you were still in contact, is he the one in the helicopter?"

"Decker, you know you shouldn't listen to somebody rambling on, he's not in the here and now, was talking about Nam."

"No, he was here and now, Captain Murdock still has contacts to you."

"We have a lot of friends, you would be surprised, but unfortunately Murdock has gone over the edge. His rambling is about as reliable as Face's."

"You're not fooling me Smith…"

Before he could go on the radio went off. "Eagle in the sky to big bear on the ground, how's he?"

"He'll be fine, thanks eagle."

"That sounded like Murdock."

"Well it wasn't, you know, I suddenly have a different idea, BA turn around, we'll drop Decker at the place to wait for the authorities."

"Oh no, you don't."

"Oh yes I do."

"What about if Peck needs a hospital again?"

"We'll get him one."

"I can get him the best care."

"We know where to find you when you're needed Rod."

Decker was anything but happy when they deposited him back with Lehmann's crowd, but before shutting the door he looked Hannibal in the eye and said, "I sincerely hope Peck is okay."

Hannibal nodded. "Looks like you and I finally agree on something."

The two colonels shared a handshake before parting ways; it just seemed the appropriate thing to do.

Hannibal radioed Murdock and told him to retreat as Decker was taking over watch. While he didn't trust Decker, he did trust him when it came to putting people behind bars…with the exception of themselves of course.

Face started to moan softly.

"Aw, man…here we go again," B.A. said.

The problem with Face and sodium pentothal was that he could be acting like a happy drunk one moment and then switch to a depressed one the next. As he opened his eyes and the tears started to flow freely they knew which one.

"Hey, kid, don't cry. It's going to be okay," Hannibal tried to console his lieutenant.

"No s'not," Face sobbed. "I'm holding the team back."

"You need to breathe, Faceman," B.A. reminded him gently.

"And you aren't holding anybody back."

Face was breathing hard. "Yes…am. I'm…no…good. Look at…me…big mess. Not Faceman…look bad…no use for me."

It was painful for them to hear the words, but even worse because due to the truth serum they knew he really believed them deep down.

Hannibal gently took hold of Face's chin and forced him to look at him. "Listen, kid, you are not a mess. You're hurt and you've been drugged…"

"Drugged?" Face asked quizzically.

"Yes," Hannibal confirmed.

"Is B.A. mad at me?"

B.A. almost drove off the road. "Why'd I be mad at you? Ain't none of this your fault."

"But…took drugs…you don't like people who…take drugs."

"You didn't take them, man. They was forced on you."

"But still…you don't…like me. Never liked…me."

B.A. felt as if he had been hit in the gut. "Huh? What you talkin' bout?"

"S'okay. It's not like…any of you really…like me." Face was gasping for air, but he couldn't stop himself. "Murdock…maybe he…does. Not sure. Hannibal…you keep me…'round to...get stuff. I'm good…at it…but now I'm useless. Got to leave me. Everybody…leaves me…eventually. S'true…my own…parents didn't like me…left me too."

Hannibal didn't know what to say. It wouldn't have mattered anyway as the drugs had too great a hold on Face. He wondered just how much of the drug he had been injected with. He heard B.A. tell Face to breathe, but the sergeant's voice was husky with emotion. He was about to second that emotion but there was no need as Face had passed out once more.

B.A. was visibly shaken. "He think we don't like him…he really think that. 'Specially me."

Hannibal tried to comfort the large man. "It's just the drug talking, B.A."

"Exactly. And that's the problem. He can't hide behind his masks this time. He believed he's not liked but just allowed to tag along all the time."

"You don't know that BA, the truth serum makes people talk more and makes it harder to lie since it needs more concentration to lie, concentration he doesn't have right now. But it doesn't mean he's talking the truth, he can still mix fact and fiction."

"Not likely, what kind of fiction would that be?"

"Maybe the drug makes him overdramatize, when he's in his right mind he knows we like him."

"Rather like he tells himself we like him but doesn't really believe it."

Hannibal too hadn't believed what he said so he just kept quiet and they drove on in silence. They had made it more than half of the way when Face started to stir again.

"Oh man, I hope he's the happy version this time."

The giggles erupting from Face before he had even opened his eyes confirmed that BA's wish had been granted.

"Hannibal, come dance with me, the party is so great."

"I don't think so kid, you just breathe, don't forget to breathe, you hear me?"

"Hannibal, come dance with me, come on colonel." Face was sitting by now and had his arms around Hannibal's neck. The drug made him oblivious to the pain.

"Face. Leave it, you're going to hurt yourself, we're in a moving car. Breathe."

"Hannibal, you're funny, it's a great party, come on." Face tried to get up and Hannibal had his hands full. BA drove to the side to get to his colonels help. Together they tried to keep a hard laughing Face at bay until he went out again.

"Oh man, I said happy, not manic."

"Get us home BA, I have a feeling we should be close to a doctor."

They arrived without further incident and Murdock practically jumped into the van as soon as it stopped.

"How is he?"

"Actin' crazier than you, fool," B.A. answered before getting out of the driver's seat.

Hannibal was sitting by Face's side and taking a pulse from his carotid artery. "Damn…it's way too fast."

"What did they do to him?" Murdock's brown eyes were filled with concern.

"Drugged him…truth serum."

Murdock shifted to allow B.A. to enter the van beside him. "Oh no. The last time he was injected with that…"

B.A. put his arm around Murdock. "Don't go there, lil' brother." The tenderness of his action spoke volumes as to the gravity of the situation."

B.A. carried Face inside and once Face was placed into a bed the doctor ushered the men from the room. He could tell from looking at the trio that they were exhausted and on the verge of collapse themselves. "Get some food and get off your feet. I'll examine him and will come find you as soon as I'm done."

"But…" Murdock tried to object.

The doctor wasn't having it. "But nothing. One patient is enough as he is going to need my full attention…I can't have one of you getting sick on me."

Though he didn't like it anymore than Murdock, Hannibal turned to his men and nodded. "The doctor's right. Let's go."

It took close to an hour before the doctor emerged. When Hannibal, Murdock and B.A. jumped to their feet he smiled. "Whoa…I thought I told you to get off your feet."

"How is he?" they asked in harmony.

"As well as can be expected. Amazingly, nothing new is broken though his body is one continuous bruise. I have him on an IV as he is dehydrated. Beyond that we can't do much more until the drugs are out of his system. Tell me, has he ever been subjected to sodium pentothal before that you know of?"

"Yes," Hannibal answered.

"Can you tell me the circumstances and his reactions?"

They all could, but none of them wanted to remember. They all avoided eye contact with the doctor but he didn't have time for games.

"So?"

Hannibal, being the colonel, relented and gave him the short version.

"Face has been injected with the serum several times. In Nam the VC used it but not in high dosages and not too frequent, they believed in their torture rather than drugs. Last time he got in touch with the stuff we had a job in south America and got captured and taken deep into the jungle. They tried to interrogate us but soon got frustrated. They developed a special interest in Face and finally injected him with the serum. They soon got frustrated since he went through several phases of happy and depressed without giving away any information, and finally dumped him back in our cage. He was unconscious by then. We managed to escape that night. Face had been in a bad shape before he was injected and his muscle movement was almost totally depressed, he couldn't sit up, left alone walk, so we took turns carrying him. He went through his normal reaction, either happy or depressed but always rambling without breathing enough and finally passing out from lack of oxygen. Then his body will take over control and breathe until he wakes up and the same thing starts again. We walked all night and managed to get some distance away but we were by far not safe and having to carry a man without leaving too much of a trail was slow going. The next day around noon he had a manic phase again and we had to cover his mouth with our hands to keep him from making too much noise. He soon passed out as usual but this time he didn't start to breath. We took turns breathing for him, all the time checking his other vitals, he seemed okay otherwise but he just wouldn't start breathing. We had no equipment and took over breathing for him in turns for more than an hour. We all thought we would lose him that day. After that his breathing stayed irregular and shallow and by the time we reached civilization he had developed pneumonia and was feverish. Coupled with his normal reaction, once the manic and depressed phases are over he'll be sick like a dog for days, he ended up more than weak and took weeks to recover."

"Okay, I saw irregularities in his respiration now too, I'll watch that closely. But other than that time he now has access to medical attention and should be fine. We're not in a clinic here but if need be we could always get him to a hospital in time. I'll go back to be with him, you all rest."

"We need to be with Face doc. We had enough rest."

"It was just one hour and by far not enough."

"Doc, he needs us."

The doctor saw that he had no chance. "Okay, but one at a time and only if the rest promises to rest. With that he turned and left them standing alone."Hannibal, you sure Decker won't find the way back here?"

"Yes, that I'm sure. But he will for sure go and check on one Captain Murdock at the VA." Hannibal looked at Murdock.

"If you're saying I shall go back then forget it, not until I know Face is fine."

"Face will definitely not be fine if Decker finds a reason to increase security around you and we can't bail you out again. You need to be there when Decker comes."

"You really think he would go, after all Face has done for him?"

"Trust me BA, it will be the first thing after he has the Lehmann gang behind bars and has explained away where he was in the past week."

"I'm not going."

"Murdock, it's only for some days, until things have died down, and we'll keep you informed."

"Did you have to use the word 'die'?"

"Don't worry, you heard the doc, he'll be fine. Maybe you can talk Richter into giving you some cover."

"Come on fool, Colonel's right. I'll take you."

Murdock took a deep breath. "No, that's going to take too long. I'll ask Bill to take me with the chopper to the closest place and then I'll make my way to the VA from there. I need to get there fast, sneak into my room, or rather Richter's room, and get him to cover for the time I've been missing, Decker will check that too."


	30. Chapter 30

Chapter 30

"Good thinking Murdock, do it. I'll sit with Face, BA go and rest. We'll keep you updated Murdock."

"Yes, sir." Murdock reluctantly turned and left the room

"The fool ain't happy about this," B.A. said.

"I know, but it's the only way to keep his cover with the military."

"I know, man. I'm gettin' real tired of runnin' from the military."

Hannibal gave his sergeant a crooked smile. "You're just getting tired now?"

B.A. returned the smile. "Yeah, man…I'm stronger than the rest of you fools. You come get me if you need me, hear?"

"Yeah, I hear. Now, get." Hannibal pointed out the door.

Murdock was quiet the whole trip back to the V.A. The few times Bill tried to make conversation Murdock gave one word answers and after a while he stopped trying. As soon as they touched down, the pilot thanked him and took off running toward some trees. Bill waited for him to disappear before starting up the bird again and heading back from where they came.

Murdock knew all the ins and outs of the hospital; Face and he had used them all at one point or another.

Face…just the thought of what his best friend had suffered over the past weeks made tears come to his eyes. But there was no time for that now. Instead he focused on what Face would do if he were here. 'The kitchen…they say it's the best way to a man's heart…I say it's the best way to break into an institution.' He could hear Face's voice as if he were beside him.

As usual, Face was right. He easily got past the kitchen staff and was on his way down the corridor leading to Dr. Richter's room. He was almost home free when coming from the opposite direction he spotted Decker. Once more, Face's voice popped into his head. 'And when all else fails, act crazy.'

'Crazy' was something he could do.

"Billy…where are you boy?" Murdock ran straight up to Decker and in his best little boy voice asked, "Excuse me, mister, have you seen my dog Billy?"

"What? Huh?" Decker was caught off guard. "Captain, Murdock…is that you?

"Please, mister…you gotta help me find my dog." Murdock started running around the colonel in circles shouting, "Billy…here, boy…where are you?"

Murdock's performance brought Dr. Richter out from his office. Fifteen minutes, a chase around the wing, and a straightjacket later, Decker was convinced that Murdock indeed was insane and was in no condition at this time to have been of any help to the A-Team.

"I'm sorry I bothered you, captain. I…um…hope you find your dog," he muttered before making a quick exit.

Murdock smiled as he was locked in his room; Face would have been proud of his performance for sure.

Face woke feeling no pain, and for the first time ever Hannibal wasn't happy about it. He was awake for just a few minutes but it was enough to worry Hannibal sick. The doctor too seemed worried since he fussed over his unconscious patient checking him over thoroughly. Hannibal stood by the bed replaying the last few minutes.

_At the first signs of waking up he had jumped to his feet and was at Face's side immediately._

_"Hey kid, wake up. Come on Face."_

_"Hey." Was the croaked reply he got before two dull eyes opened._

_"How do you feel?"_

_"Don't feel much of anything, just so very tired."_

_"You'll be fine in no time, you'll see."_

_"No, it's too late. I'll never be fine again."_

_"Don't talk that way Face, you've been through worse."_

_"Yeah, and now it's one too many times." His voice sounded so strange, as if he had no energy left._

_"Oh Face, I'm sorry you had to go through all this, don't give up on me now kid."_

_" 'm not a kid."_

_"Too me you'll always be." Usually sentences like that earned him a witty reply about how old he was but this time Face didn't rise to the challenge. This time Face just mumbled "Keep the note." Before drifting off again._

"Colonel Smith."

"Huh? Oh sorry, I was lost in thoughts. How is he?"

"Physically he's as expected. His breathing is still too shallow and his pulse too fast but otherwise he's okay considering the circumstances. I was just asking you if this was a normal depressed phase for him or we should interpret more to it."

"To be honest, he has me worried. Normally he'll have self doubts or complain about his life but I've never seen him talking about dying in a drug induces depressive mood."

"Why would you say he talked about dying?"

"He told me to keep the note."

"Okay."

"Shouldn't he feel pain?"

"The drug is a sedative too, even if not too strong, I'm sure he feels pain but in his overall condition doesn't see it to be too bad, that will change with time for sure, as soon as the drug leaves his body. If this wasn't just depressed talking induced by the drugs then we have to find him something to look forward too, something he really wants."

"A family."

"What?"

"Face grew up as an orphan, His biggest whish in life is being adopted."

"That's all?"

"All?"

"Yeah, all. The Millers are here, they practically adopted him. Go get them so they'll be here if he wakes up and is still depressed."

Hannibal did as was told and when Face woke up again and was still in a down mood Hannibal took his hand. "See who came to visit you. Your new family, complete with mother, father and brother."

'Why do I need a new one? I have one, or…do they want to dump me? Where are the others anyway?'

"Where's Murdock?"

"He needed to head back to the VA."

"Oh." Face didn't think Murdock would leave him when he was injured. "He okay?"

Hannibal didn't think it wise to bring Decker's name back into the mix so he smiled and joked, "has he ever been?" But Face didn't laugh. "He's just fine."

Before Face could say another word, Hannibal stood and motioned for the Millers to come closer. As they moved in, Hannibal moved out. Seeing how much the family seemed to care for his lieutenant, he figured he wasn't needed anymore…and it hurt. But his own feelings were of no importance; it was Face who mattered. His view of the younger man was blocked and he couldn't see the hurt expression as he quietly slipped from the room.

'They left me…all of them,' Face thought. 'I was right. They don't like me.' He didn't remember much of what happened after being taken from the house by Lehmann's men, he just remembered feeling strange. And now he wondered if he had said or done something to make the team give him away.

Making matters worse was that as the drugs were wearing off, the pain was intensifying. He could hear the Miller's talking and years of experience put him into autopilot. Amazingly he was able to hold a conversation without paying much attention to what was being said. His years at the orphanage and at various foster homes allowed him to force a smile when confronted with a new family…and even after being rejected by one.

Hannibal joined B.A. and tried to get some sleep, but he found himself tossing and turning. And from the sound of B.A.'s rattling gold, he could tell his friend wasn't faring much better. Finally they both stopped trying and sat together talking.

"What happened with the Faceman?" B.A. asked.

"The doc suggested I get the Millers so he could feel as if he had a family…"

"He got a family already…us."

Hannibal sighed. "I know that, B.A., but right now he thinks we don't like him and he needs to feel secure."

"I thought you said it was just them drugs talkin'?"

Hannibal sighed even louder. "Yeah, and it probably is…"

"Probably?" B.A. repeated.

"He mentioned the note again."

B.A.'s eyes opened a bit wider. "Damn."

"I thought if he had something else to focus on but the team he might not feel so bad. It's as if we make him feel guilty…does that make any sense?"

"Yeah…it do."

"You think we're doing the right thing?"

"No."

"Me neither."

Face was trying with all that he had to play the game, but he hurt all over. The worst hurt of all, however, was that he had been abandoned by the guys. Tears leaked out of his eyes that he could no longer control.

Edna and Henry didn't notice as they started joking to take Face's mind off of the immediate situation.

"So, mum, do I have to share a room with Faruk or he gets his own, somewhere in the barn?"

"You two share a room and in the evening I'll come and tuck you in, read you a bedtime story and give you both good night kisses. And by the way, I think your younger brother prefers to be called Face rather than Faruk."

"Well, I can understand that. Who wouldn't? It's not the nicest name you gave him."

"I? I didn't come up with it."

Henry put on his most innocent look and said "But you are his mother, you named him."

'They ignore me already, they just stick around because they feel guilty.'

Charles had been watching the exchange between Henry and Edna whiles holding Face's hand. As he turned back to his new son he spotted the tears.

"Oh my god, Templeton, please don't cry, is the pain that bad? I'll go get the doctor."

Face nodded, the pain was bad even if it was the one on the inside. He missed his team already.

As soon as Charles started talking Henry and Edna focused their attention back at Face and carefully held his bandaged hands while Charles went for the doctor.

Some hours after the incident Murdock sat in Richter's office. "Mind to tell me where you have been in the past 23 days?"

"Was it really that long?"

"Yes it was."

Murdock gave him a summary and ended with "and now Face is really sick and I need to be with him."

"No way, people have been snooping around here a lot, give it two or three days to cool down and then I'll be able to come up with a new story. Face needs a doctor more than a friend right now and that he has."

"But…"

"Sorry Murdock, there's only so much I can do and still be believable."

Hannibal and BA heard Charles calling out for the doctor and immediately run towards Face's room. They found him in tears and being comforted by Edna and Henry and felt jealous again. Face had heard them, BA running was like bells at Christmas, he turned his neck to try if he could see them and his eye caught Hannibal's.

Hannibal considered to break the eye contact to Face to not disturb the moment he and the Millers had but he just couldn't. He had seen something in Face's eyes that reached far deeper than any physical pain could.

But it was Face who looked away first and then promptly passed out.

Hannibal didn't know what he should be feeling; there were so many emotions assaulting him all at once. Fear…fear that Face had lost consciousness once more. Relief…ironically, relief for the same thing. Jealousy…jealousy that the Millers stepped in so easily to a role it had taken the team years to reach. Sad…sad to see his boy suffering so badly. Disappointment…disappointment that Face had turned away from him.

B.A. on the other hand just felt angry…at himself. 'Faceman think I don't like him…he think I never liked him. And now 'cause of me he turnin' away from us.'

The Millers, Hannibal and B.A. sat together quietly unsure who should go or who should stay. As the time passed, however, B.A. could feel his anger growing.

Hannibal, too, could feel that something was going on with his sergeant. He was fidgeting in his seat and twisting the rings on his fingers. Hannibal shot him a worried glance and whispered, "you okay?"

B.A. shook his head in the negative. "Gotta get outta here man."

Hannibal nodded; he understood the feeling. Face hadn't so much as stirred…a few minutes of fresh air couldn't hurt. If he had only known how much he would have never left.

The duo left the room and walked outside into the bright sunshine that stood out in stark comparison to the gloominess on the inside. When they were what B.A. figured was a safe distance from the house for anybody to hear he let out a gut-wrenching scream that even startled Hannibal.

Face jolted awake as he heard B.A. scream and instinctively tried to get up. He let out a scream of his own from the pain that the sudden movement had caused. The movement also gave the last momentum to the meager contents of his stomach and all he could do was to turn his head to the side.

Henry was the first to step forward and to Face's side as he woke, unfortunately for him that also brought him in the line of Face's stomach contents.

Henry let out a disgusted sound while already helping Face by holding his shoulders and grabbing for the bucket Edna was providing. When Face was done and closed his eyes he patted him on the shoulder.

"I'll be right back, just going to change."

Face didn't hear or feel any of that. The last thing he remembered when the white hot agony subside enough for him to hear and feel anything other than pain again was Henry being disgusted and BA and Hannibal not being there. He opened his eyes and found one thing had changed, Henry was gone too and Charles and Edna stood there awkwardly.

He closed his eyes again. 'Peck you fool. They didn't care enough to keep you around but at least they organized a family for you, and you puke on their real son and drive them away, just great. They won't stick around and you'll never see your team again, or if you do they'll have received a complaint from the family and be mad at you. Congrats, you did it again.' He felt dizzy and couldn't quite remember why he hurt all over, he opened his eyes in an attempt to find out but all he could see was his bandaged hands and some bruises along his arms. The rest of him was covered with a blanket but the raised part where his leg was supposed to be looked suspiciously like a cast, probably it was broken. He closed his eyes again. He couldn't even remember what had woken him and it seemed too much of an effort to try to remember, his head hurt without additional thinking.

BA didn't need to talk, Hannibal knew exactly how he felt. He just gave him some time to cool off, just being there for him and waiting for BA to do the talking if he wanted to. It took some minutes until BA turned and hit one fist into the palm of his other hand.

"I need to hit something, anything. It's all so stupid. We should be there for him, we don't need to find him a new family, after all those years he think we don't like him but he should like those strangers? Why?"

"I don't know BA but he seems so free with them. Maybe because it reminds him of the normal life he wants, not being on the run and all."

"That doesn't explain why he thinks we don't like him."

"I don't know BA, I hope it was just the drugs talking, or maybe he really thinks so and therefore is so glad to have a new family."

Nobody spoke again until Hannibal sighed, "let's go back before he wakes up."

"Yeah, " BA hit his fist in his palm again "we gonna show him that he's cared for, and if it's the last thing we do."

"That sounds like a plan, I'll leave the details to you though."


	31. Chapter 31

Chapter 31

They went back into the house and met Henry who was in a fresh set of clothes and still had damp hair.

"Took a break too?"

"A necessary one rather." At Hannibal's puzzled look he remembered that they had not been there and added "Face puked on me."

"He woke up?" They both took off running towards Face's room leaving behind a puzzled Henry and never heard him mutter "After that scream that could have woken the dead you're surprised?"

BA was the first to enter the room. "Faceman, how are you?"

Face was laying still with his eyes closed while Edna sat on a chair beside the bed and stroked his hair. Charles stood at the foot of the bed. At BA's entrance Face opened his eyes but needed a moment to focus. Hannibal came in just behind BA and now stood next to him.

Face didn't say a word, he just looked from BA to Hannibal to Edna and back. He had confusion written in bold letters all over his face though.

"What's it kid?"

"Why?"

"Why what?"

They looked concerned and not mad, and they were back, Murdock was still missing though, but Murdock was his best friend. Why should the others be here while he wasn't? And what were they doing here anyway?

Hannibal took the silence as a sign that nothing would be spoken again. "Face, we're sorry we weren't here when you woke up. We thought you would sleep longer after the painkiller the doc had given to you. How do you feel?"

"You…you mean…you didn't go?"

"Why should we go fool, we're family. We wouldn't leave you alone while you're hurting."

"Oh."

Hannibal had followed the emotions playing over Face's features. He was so bad at schooling them when he was sick. He lighted up at the mention of family but then it went as fast as it had come.

"BA's right, we are your family and you're safe with us, don't you forget that."

"So you….you'll only leave once I'm better?"

"What about we'll not leave at all? Or you want us too?"

"No, no, really not, really."

That came way too fast for Hannibal's liking, he was afraid, or rather convinced, that he would be left alone, latest when he was healed. "We're not going anywhere kid, never planed too."

"But…but…why?"

"Why what?"

"Why new family?"

Edna jumped in on that. "We're no new family Face, we're not going to replace anybody, just see us as an additional one."

Face closed his eyes again, it was all too much to process for him and the pain was increasing.

"You're hurting bad, is it?" That was BA's voice. He heard a chair being lifted and carried over and somebody moved. The next thing he felt was BA's big hand on his shoulder and a cool cloth over his eyes.

"Kid, want me to get the doc?"

"I…um…yes."

"Stay put, I'll get him."

"Thanks Charles."

"Where's Murdock?"

Before the question could be answered the doc flew into the room. "Where do you hurt most?"

"Uhm…dunno?"

"Come on, give me a part of your body that bothers you most. Head, arms, legs, middle?"

"Head…no, legs…no….actually…I… all over."

"Okay, you have a bad headache?"

"Yeah."

"That's new at least. How does your chest feel?"

It took a moment until Face had taken stock of himself and answered, "hurts."

"Let me take your vitals, open your mouth for the thermometer. Good, keep it under your tongue." He started to count his pulse when Face spoke up again and the instrument slipped out of his mouth.

"What happened?"

"What do you mean, I told you to keep the thermometer in."

"Sorry, forgot, what happened to me?"

"You don't remember?"

"No…should I?"

Hannibal looked nervously at the doctor who quickly reassured him.

"Taking into consideration the drugs combined with the trauma and," the doctor paused to read the thermometer, "he's running another fever. A bit of memory loss or confusion is understandable."

"A bit?" Face croaked. "My mind feels all jumbled up."

"Well before we worry about your mind, I want to focus on your body. I'm going to have to ask everybody to leave the room." The physician had a feeling that he wouldn't get the whole truth out of his patient with all of his 'family' members hanging around.

Face didn't want Hannibal or B.A. to go as he was still afraid that they might leave him. At the same time, however, having the Millers and the team in the same room was making him uncomfortable. While he liked them a great deal, they could never take the place of the guys. "Go ahead…I'll be okay," he told the group.

Reluctantly they left Face alone with the doctor and adjourned to the living room to wait. It was Edna who spoke first. "Colonel Smith, I think it's time me and my boys head back home. It's safe now that you all took care of them creeps. We've got lots of work to do to clean up our place and get our business running again."

Hannibal nodded his understanding. "You all have been so helpful…we can never thank you enough."

"I think we are the ones who should be thanking you," Charles insisted. "Face saved my Edna's life, twice."

B.A. shook his head and chuckled. "Don't you fools start fightin' over who need to be thankin' who."

"B.A.'s right," Hannibal agreed.

"I'm always right."

Hannibal rolled his eyes, but didn't dare argue.

"My only worry is that he'll think we're leaving because we don't care." Edna sat down on the couch between her husband and son. "But part of me thinks we are making it hard on him because he thinks he has to choose a side."

"With us gone he can focus on getting better," Henry concluded.

"And we can work on makin' things right with him again," B.A. said looking at Hannibal.

"But I have one favor to ask."

"Anything, Edna," Hannibal smiled.

"Tell Face that once he's all better we expect the see him…and the rest of your team…back at our house for dinner."

"You got it."

Face lie in the bed enduring what was becoming an increasingly painful exam.

"I'm sorry," the doctor apologized. "I know it hurts, but I want to see if I can figure out the reason for your fever. It's quite high and may be the result of an infection."

"It's okay," Face said through gritted teeth but kept his eyes trained on the door.

"Hannibal and B.A. aren't going to leave, you know."

Face didn't answer. 'But Murdock did,' he thought.

The doctor pressed down on his broken leg lightly, but it felt as if he had been stabbed by a knife. "Ahhh," he hissed.

"I think we found the culprit. The area is swollen and warm to the touch, but I'm going to need to take an x-ray."

A quick x-ray later and the doctor's suspicions were confirmed. "Just like I thought. A piece of bone chipped off…possibly from the initial break or even maybe when I set it. It has caused an abscess to form."

"What's that mean?" Face doubted he wanted to know the answer.

"It means that I'm going to have to open it up, remove the fragment and cut out the infection."

Face paled at the thought. "Wonderful."

"Don't worry. It's a pretty routine procedure and should help you to feel much better. The good news is that the bone is knitting together quit well."

"And the bad? There's always some bad, doc."

The doctor chuckled. "Us doctors get a bad reputation."

"I've learned from experience."

"Okay…the bad. It might hurt a bit."

Face sighed and closed his weary eyes. "That means it's gonna hurt a lot."

"I'll try to be gentle…"

"Heard that one before."

Another chuckle. "Give me a few minutes to prep you and it will be over before you know it."

"Heard that one before too."

Murdock paced the floors of his room non-stop. He could actually see a line forming from where the soles of his tennis shoes hit the linoleum.

'I left Face. He would never have left me if I needed him.'

The pilot felt sick from the guilt. Though he knew it was the only choice to make, it didn't stop the bad feelings.

The ringing of the secure phone Face had installed stopped him dead in his tracks.

_"Hello?"_

_'Murdock?"_

_"Hannibal…how is he?"_

_'He'll be okay. The doctor is checking him over now."_

_"I should be there. Face needs me."_

_"Face needs you to stay safe. We'll take care of him…you just take care of yourself. I'm worried about you, too."_

_"Don't worry about me. I've got Dr. Richter and Billy to look after me. Tell Face I'm with him in spirit."_

_"Will do, captain. I'll call you soon or if anything changes."_

_"Give the big guy a hug for me."_

_"Um…that I think I'll save for you. Take care."_

Murdock hung up the phone feeling slightly better…and then went right back to pacing.

Face winced as the doctor cleaned rubbed his leg with a betadine solution; even that seemed to hurt, same as the injection he had been given before.

"I'm going to make an incision. Take some deep breaths for me…you ready?"

"Not yet…can the guys be with me?"

"Sure." Hopefully this procedure would foster both physical and mental healing. "I'll get them right now."

"No…wait, they don't need to see this, I'll be alright."

"You want me to start?"

"Yes…no…I….I don't know."

"But I do, I'll get them."

As Hannibal and BA entered the room behind the doc, both covered in scrubs, Face was nervously wringing his hands over the folded blanket.

"Don't worry Face, it will all be over soon."

"You don't need to be here, it won't be pleasant and I can do it myself."

"I know you can, but I don't want you to."

The doc went right back to where he had left off and started to rub some more of the solution on Face's thigh. When he picked up the scalpel BA jumped.

"Wait, you can't do that, you need to put him under."

"I can't do that with the crap already in his system but I've injected him with a local anesthetic. It will cause some side effects but not worse than going through the procedure without any relief. It's going to lose its power though the longer I stand around and wait and I can't top him up. He'll feel a pressure and some pain as I go deep but it shouldn't be too bad."

"Sorry."

"You really don't have to stay."

"We know it's not going to be pleasant and we don't expect it to be, in fact, it will be most unpleasant for you, kid."

"I'm sorry."

"Didn't you listen? We want to be here with you. We will hurt more if we stay outside knowing full well that you're suffering through something bad on your own than being here and helping you through it."

"Yeah man, that's what friends are for…and brothers and fathers, 'sides, the doc is almost done from how it looks, I can see the puss flowing."

"Really?" The distraction had worked well, Face had not even felt the cut. All he had felt was pressure and he had thought the doc is still probing around on his flesh. Besides he couldn't see what was going on. For one, Hannibal had intentionally positioned himself to block Face's view and two, the doc had folded the blanket over Face's midsection and chest in a way that he couldn't see over it. His only chance would have been to flex his abdominal muscles to bring his head up enough to look over the barrier and he knew better than that, he had tried before. But as the doctor started to prod inside the wound to get out all the infection and clean the cavity Face closed his eyes and gritted his teeth.

The doc finished fast and put a drain inside the wound and a splint on the leg to replace the cast he had cut off to get to the infected area.

"All done, you did great."

Face was panting through the pain. "You still didn't tell me."

"What?"

"What happened to me, and where's Murdock?"


	32. Chapter 32

Chapter 32

"Murdock is at the VA and what happened to you would take a day to sum up. What do you remember?"

"Not much…just pain and confusion and…I think there was an explosion, not sure…and Murdock left and you got me a new family and…but …but you're still here."

"Oh, almost forgot, they left and are saying…."

"They left?" Face paled some. Why had they left without saying anything, what had he done to drive them away, even though he preferred to stay with the guys they had gotten him that family and he had driven them away, they would be mad.

"Face, they…they didn't leave because of you."

"No?"

"No, they had their business to attend to."

'Sure, and that couldn't have waited another hour to say goodbye.'

Face went quiet and Hannibal took it as disappointment over having the Millers gone. He was starting to wonder if he had done the right thing by letting them go or if Face had wanted to stay with them for longer. He knew he couldn't have stayed with them for ever being a fugitive and all but maybe he had wanted to pretend normality for a bit longer and by letting them go Hannibal had not given him the chance.

The room stayed quiet and after a while Face felt an increasing pressure in his bladder. Just as he wanted to say something though he felt his bladder taking care of the problem on its own. He gasped and blushed furiously.

"Face, kid, what's it?"

"Faceman, you alright?"

"Face?" All three standing occupants of the room were hovering over him within seconds and it was only adding to Face's discomfort. He wanted to vanish but unfortunately only Murdock knew how to do that. They would see the wet patch sooner or later and probably smell it first so why put off the inevitable. But planning to say it and actually getting it out proofed to be two different shoes.

"I…I…I did…I"

"What's it kid? Is the pain getting worse?"

"No, no, I…I…I wet…I peed." There, out it was. Shouldn't have been that difficult. But the implication was the problem, they would leave him for sure.

"That's all?" Three sights of relieve were audible and only added to Face's confusion.

"Uhmm…all? Yes."

"No problem then kid."

"No?"

"No, we'll just change your diaper and you'll be good as new."

"My what?" Face paled and at the same time blushed which left him with an interesting mix of white and red dots in his face. Murdock would have had a field day had he been around.

Hannibal could have kicked himself, Face said he didn't remember and they still hadn't told him. And even if he did remember he would probably not know since the diapers came into the game after the kidnapping when he was so out of it and the doc didn't want the risk of infection another catheter would have meant. In addition they needed to take care of his bowel movements too.

"We had to keep you clean somehow and you were too out of it to announce anything, sorry, I should have told you."

'Anything? Oh no, please.' His desire to vanish increased by the second.

"No worries Faceman, we all kept you clean and dry, nothing by it, you're sick man."

"All?"

"Your team and the doc, the Millers didn't clean you off course. I'm a bit surprised you don't remember the last few times." Hannibal threw a worried glance at the doc but he indicated it was nothing to worry about.

'They didn't clean me, but they knew. No wonder they all ran, including Murdock. I'm driving him more insane with my behavior. I want a family to care for me and stick with me and I'm not even clean.'

The doctor ignored Face's obvious humiliation and jumped right to the medical implications. "Face, did you feel your bladder was full or you only felt the wetness when it released?"

"I…uhm…I did feel it, I mean…oh god…just before I…I wet myself, I felt I needed to go but I had no control over the release."

"That's good."

"Good?"

"Yes good, you felt the fullness meaning you haven't lost any feeling. Sounds like you had a bladder spasm, that can have several causes but I suspect an infection in your urethra or your bladder, or both. Let me check you over and use the opportunity to change you." The doctor reached for the blanket covering Face but he grabbed it himself, wincing at the pain in his wrists.

"No."

"Face, let the doc look at you."

"No."

"Face, you can either let the doc look at you or have me order you to let him, your choice kid, it's getting done either way."

"Please, Han…"

"Lieutenant…that's an order."

Face schooled his features. "Fine…but I want you and B.A. to go."

"C'mon, Faceman. Don't push us away again, man."

"I'm not the one doing the pushing here." Face threw a look at Hannibal. His embarrassment had turned to anger, which was really masking the fear of what was to come.

"Kid, it's for your own good."

"I already said okay. Just go."

Face turned his gaze toward the ceiling as Hannibal and B.A. left the room. He could hear the snapping sound of the doctor pulling on his latex gloves and his stomach churned.

"Now just relax, Face."

'Easy for you to say,' Face thought.

"This may feel a bit uncomfortable, but it shouldn't hurt."

'Wanna make a bet?'

It was over relatively quickly, but not quickly enough for Face who unbeknownst to the physician had been transported back to another time and place.

The gloves were snapped back off. "Good news. There was no sign of infection."

Face heard the noise and jolted back to the present. He began to shake uncontrollably and felt lightheaded.

"Face? Are you okay?"

"Yeah…s…sorry…m'okay."

"Did I hurt you?"

"No. Think I'm just a little worn out is all."

"Want me to get Hannibal?"

"No," Face answered a bit too quickly. It was Hannibal who caused the exam to happen in the first place. "I just want to be alone for a while please."

The doctor thought this odd considering it wasn't too long ago that being left alone seemed to be his patient's greatest fear. But after all that he had been through and the high degree of fever he wasn't exactly in his right mind. "Okay. I'll be back in a little while to check on you. I'll let them know that you're okay."

"Thanks," Face tried to smile. 'Okay?' he thought. 'Not by a long shot.'

As the minutes ticked by Face began to calm down. The memories went back to where he kept them tucked deep down inside. He knew that's all that they were…memories. But on the rare occasions when they were forced back up it never ceased to amaze him just how real and painful they could still be over a decade later.

He figured he needed to talk to the colonel and smooth things over. After all, he couldn't have known that it would trigger such a reaction. But exhaustion took over and he fell into a deep sleep.

When he next woke he was still alone in his room, but he had a feeling that something wasn't right. His suspicions were confirmed moments later when he felt the wetness again. 'Damn, oh no, please, this must be a nightmare.' The memories rushed to the surface once more. 'Okay, don't panic now. Just memories, that's all it is, you're safe. The guys will come in any minute. Or will they? Maybe you finally drove them away, but BA said it was okay, you're just sick that's all, you won't be needing aid for the rest of your live, don't panic Peck.'

He was trying to convince himself but feared to be left alone and the feeling was increasing every second. Something felt different than before, he felt all cold and clam and his hand felt strange. He lifted his left hand that had been next to his body under the blanket to see that the bandage was wet and stained with something. Panic took hold of him again and he felt around on the bed and his body with both hands, or rather the fingers that were not bandaged and allowed some feeling.

'Damn, damn,damn,damn…oh no, what have I done, this can't be happening.' The doc had not seen the need to put on a fresh diaper since he was responsive now and had stated to feel his bladder but he hadn't felt a thing during his sleep. 'Damn, what am I going to do, guys, where are you? Or rather, no, I don't want them to know, I'm so appalling. Damn.' The panic gave way to frustration and the feeling of helplessness.

'It can't be, it just can't be, I'm all wet and I just peed some minutes ago before falling asleep, this can't come out of me. But they wouldn't play such cruel jokes on me, or would they? For driving away the Millers? Because they now have to care for me? But they said they did so all the time, not the Millers. But I didn't sleep for long.'

"It ain't right to leave him on his own."

"But it was his wish to be alone."

"Doc, all due respect, he has a fever and is sick out of his mind from the drugs. It's his biggest fear to be alone."

"He told me he wanted to be alone and he specifically didn't want me to call you in, Colonel Smith."

"Look, you protected your patients wish, we've been playing along and stayed out for the past six hours, checking on him every few minutes and he was sleeping like a baby. But he's bound to wake up some time and I don't want him to be alone then. Besides, going in and out all the time is only going to disturb his sleep. I'm going to grab a book and sit with him."

"But…"

"But nothing, I'm his commanding officer, I don't need to respect his wishes, besides he can throw me out once he's up."

Hannibal picked up a book and went past the doctor. BA laid a hand on the man's shoulder to get his attention away from Hannibal. "Trust him, he knows what's best for the Faceman, always has."

Hannibal stepped into the room and immediately knew something was wrong. Face had his eyes closed but his body was trembling under the covers and he had moved some. Hannibal didn't bother to close the door but was at Face's side in a flash.

"Kid, what's wrong?"

Face trembled even harder fighting to get a grip on his thoughts and emotions.

"Face, come on talk to me. What is the problem kid?"

Face's eyes snapped open and Hannibal could see the fever burning in them. "Why did you do it?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Why are you playing such a cruel joke on me?" Deep down Face knew Hannibal would never do something like this to him but right now he hurt and his fevered mind didn't want to think rational. He needed to lash out on somebody and the only one around was Hannibal. Plus in Face's opinion he deserved it for having caused the memories to surface in the first place. And now he behaved as if he didn't know of anything. Face balled his fists, or rather attempted too and ended up flexing them some in the bandages, and hit the mattress to either side of him in frustration. He regretted it instantly and let out a gasp of pain.

Hannibal took the hand that was closest to him, which happened to be the left one, and straightened out the fingers.

"Relax kid, you're going to hurt yourself, why is your hand wet?"

"You know full well, you did it, this wasn't me, leave me alone, I hate you for what you've done."

"Face, you don't mean what you're saying, you're sick, let me check you over."

"I mean every word, leave me alone."

But Hannibal wasn't having any of it. He removed the blanket from Face's body revealing the hospital gown he was still wearing and the wetness around his middle.

Face blushed red and tried to snatch the blanket from Hannibal but only managed to gasp in pain at the movement.

"Face, I'm so sorry, I'll get the doc and BA and we'll have you clean and dry in no time."

"No, leave me alone, you did it."

There was no need to get anybody since they had heard Hannibal through the open door and now stepped in.

"What did I do kid, I don't get it."

"This. Why, just why did you do this, what have I done to you?"

"What are you talking about?"

"This can't have come out of me after just having…you know…a few minutes ago."

"Kid you slept for over six hours and why should I make you wet?"

Face didn't answer again, he was spent. The doctor stepped forward and reached for the gown Face was wearing to lift it. "Let me see Face."

Face sprung into action. "No, no not again, please, no."

"Face, calm down." Hannibal easily caught his hands and held them away from the area to be examined.

"No, no, get away from me, no."

"Lieutenant calm down and let the doctor do his job."

"You're ordering me."

"If I have too."

"And why should I follow your orders, look where it got me, to a life on the run. Leave me alone."

The trio didn't pay much attention to Face's outburst. Hannibal held Face's hands for the doc to have a look and BA gathered new bed sheets, a bowl with water, towels and fresh bandages.

The snap of rubber gloves being pulled on brought Face back to the present and he paled. "no, no please, not again, no, please." But he was ignored again.

"Okay Face, just like the first time." The doctor picked up Face's member and gently guided it into a plastic bottle. "Try to produce some drops for me."

'Yeah, just like the first time.' The first time Face was thinking of was so different from the one the doctor was talking off.

Face was burning with embarrassment but got enough hold of himself to let the urine flow. To his immense surprise, and also to the doctors, he produced far more than a few drops, the bottle was almost full by the time he was done.

"How can I still have so much inside me, I didn't do this." Hannibal and BA chose to ignore him. Hannibal went about cleaning him and stripping the bed while BA made sure to cover those parts of him currently not worked on and provide some comfort with his calm presence.

After just some seconds the doctor reappeared with an empty syringe in hand. I need some of your blood.

"No, please, no, leave me."

"Do it fast." BA and Hannibal were already holding Face down, he was so terribly afraid of syringes and couldn't control himself when he was sick. The guys however knew that and were prepared.

Face sniffled and sobbed while he was being cleaned and he eventually calmed down. It felt good to have the guys around. They were so gentle in their task and BA was covering him up, providing maximum possible dignity in a situation like this. He felt bad for his earlier outburst. As soon as they were done the doctor repapered with a deep frown on his face.

"What's it doc?" Hannibal wasn't sure he wanted an answer.

"Well, the urine sample now showed a little sign of infection, I want to do an ultrasound of the bladder and urethra to be sure, after all I brought all this equipment here. " he attempted to joke but Face didn't react to it. "Your blood has me worried, the drug is still not entirely gone. Coupled whit the other meds it has your system totally out of whack. You're suffering from overproduction of urine right now while your kidneys are not able to concentrate it, therefore you pee more often and risk dehydration. For now we just wait it out but if it doesn't change within the next 24 hours I'm going to give you hormones to get things back under control. Now let me do the scan."

He didn't want to but had no choice. It hurt like hell to have the wand moved over his abused abdomen and was utterly humiliating when the doc moved it over his groin and member. But it was over relatively fast.

"The urinal tract shows some inflammation near the bladder and it has spread inside. It's not severe yet but causing the spasms. It also explains why your fever is still so high. We better go on with the diapers for now, just to be on the safer side. You need to drink plenty of fluids then we might be able to fend it off without antibiotics."

"But then I'll pee even more."

"Doesn't matter, just tell one of us and we'll assist you with the bottle."

"Humph, can't wait."

"Sorry kid. Now try to rest, okay?"

"Uhm…Hannibal?"

"Yeah?"

"Can I talk to you…. alone?"

BA and the doc got the hint and quietly left the room while Hannibal brought a chair close.

"Anytime kid."


	33. Chapter 33

Chapter 33

"I….I feel bad…you know…about earlier on."

"Don't even mention it, you're feverish and sick, I know you didn't mean it."

"I…I…it's just…it's…oh man…something happened."

"What is it Face?"

"I…it…the whole thing…you know, it brought up some memories I never wanted to remember again."

It didn't happen often that Face stuttered unable to find words and Hannibal felt he needed some encouragement before he changed his mind and shut off. "What happened to you kid? You know you can always talk to me."

"I…I know. I…you know…when I was a kid, not tiny, I mean somewhere thirteen or fourteen, I spent a couple of months in a hospital. I was…my body was just …you know…changing and there was this sadistic nurse….and…well…he was…he was real mean."

"He?" Hannibal probed, surprised by the gender.

"Yeah…I know…it was odd for the time period."

"So, what happened?"

Face took a deep breath, unsure he was really ready to go back there.

"Trust me, Face." Hannibal put his hand on top of Face's bandaged one. "Let me in."

Face nodded and took one more breath. "I had been in a bad car accident. One of the older boys from the orphanage stole a car and I was dumb enough to get in it with him. He was trying to show off and managed to ram my side of the car into a tree."

"Jesus."

"Jesus is right…and I remember praying to Him as we were spinning out of control," Face smiled slightly. "He must have been listening because it was a miracle I even survived."

Hannibal could see Face's heart beating through his medical gown, but he remained quiet and waited for the younger man to continue.

"Um…Jake…the nurse…got off on hurting me."

Hannibal's eyes narrowed. "Hurting you how?"

"Not…not like that…he didn't touch me or anything…well not…um…," Face blushed on top of his already flushed cheeks, "not…um…sexually."

Hannibal exhaled, visibly relieved, and encouraged Face to go on by rubbing his arm gently.

"I was busted up pretty bad…like now…and he would have to help me…um…you know…go and stuff…kind of like now. Anyway, he told me I needed to be punished for what I had done…I deserved to suffer for stealing the car."

"But you didn't."

"I know. But to him I was guilty by association. Said he was going to teach me a lesson." Face shuddered at the memories. "He was so rough…I was small for my age…and he was so big. He would move me and toss me around like I was a rag doll. He…he wouldn't give me anything for the pain…would flush all my pills down the toilet. God…I hurt so bad…was just a kid…it…it was awful. It went on for the eight long weeks I was there. And…and I could always hear him coming…he would pull on his rubber gloves right outside my door. That snapping noise…" Face stooped suddenly and paled.

"What is it kid?"

"Sick…feel sick."

Hannibal supported Face as he retched and then eased him back.

"Sorry…I'm such a mess."

"No…no you're sick. And I'm sorry you had to go through that then…and now." Hannibal suddenly looked angry. "Why didn't anybody stop him?"

Face sighed. "Colonel, I was just an orphan…nobody pays much attention to an orphan."

"Jake seemed to."

"Yeah…well…that was a long time ago. I just wanted to explain why…um…why I freaked out on you all back there. Not being able to control my…well you know…and having you guys have to…um…help me…it just brought it all back."

"But you know that none of us…the doc included…are _trying_ to hurt you…right?"

"Yeah. I know."

"I'd _never_ hurt you. And that goes for B.A. and Murdock too…we had to practically force Murdock back to the VA in order to protect himself from being found out. He didn't want to leave you. None of us will ever willingly leave you, son."

Face smiled. "I know that now, too." He felt warm inside at the use of the word son. But then he realized that warmth was coming from his outside as well…and there was more wetness. "Um…Hannibal?"

"Yeah?"

"I feel wet again."

Hannibal considered it progress that Face was finally able to tell him. "That's okay…I'll take care of you."

Face shook his head. "No…not there…my leg. Starting to ache a bit too." In all the drama and emotion, Face hadn't noticed.

"Let me take a quick look." Hannibal pulled back the sheet and grimaced at what he saw coming out of the leg drain. "I think I better get the doc."

"What is it?"

"The abscess he cut open this morning is leaking again, don't worry." He didn't want Face to worry but he did. The liquid was puss, it wasn't thick and yellow but it was puss alright and the leg was still red and swollen. He prayed that Face wouldn't have to suffer through a round of antibiotics in his weak state.

The doc took one look at it and frowned. "I have to wash it out again and the way it looks we would better make it a routine of once a day until it stops leaking. I hope it won't get worse."

The procedure didn't take long but was hell on Face. The doc removed the drain, fed a thick needle into the cavity and washed out the wound with a disinfectant solution. He repeated this until he was satisfied with the result and then replaced the drain. All the while Face was being held down by BA and Hannibal and panting through the pain but didn't let out the cries of pain he was working so hard to keep in. It took a few minutes after all was done for Face to come to his senses again. When he opened his eyes he was once again alone with Hannibal and looked around confused.

"Where….? It hurt too much to be a dream."

"Kid, kid, kid." Hannibal shook his head. "When will you ever learn to let your feelings out? You tried so hard to hide your pain that you never realized the doc was done a long time ago. He and BA left the room about ten minutes ago. I was beginning to wonder if you were ever going to snap out of it."

"Oh…I guess I lost some minutes then, sorry."

"Rather like half an hour, and you shouldn't be sorry, I'm sorry, sorry you still want to hide your pain from us instead of sharing."

"Sorry."

Hannibal hadn't meant to lecture the sick man but it just came out. They lapsed into silence for a while until Hannibal spoke up again.

"Face, about this nurse, Jack, one thing I don't get. You said he mistreated you and that you got spooked by the sound of the rubber gloves and us having to assist you, but since this ordeal begun different doctors used rubber gloves on you and we had to assist you ever since the explosion. I had the impression you got spooked from the idea of having the doc examine you for infection, and me ordering you to take it."

"Uhm…well…maybe I was too out of it to recognize the gloves before?"

"Not convincing kid, try again."

"Ahh…uhmm..Jack was ordering me around?"

"Even worse. Give it up kid, you're not good at conning me, especially when you're sick. There's more to the story, right?"

"Hmm…it's silly, really, nothing to worry about."

"Humor me Face."

"As I said, he was sadistic and I was …you know, my body was just changing and my…my privates…it was growing. There were a lot of things you learned in a catholic orphanage but not how to turn from boy to man. I was very self-conscious that time. While I should have been used to being exposed in front of others, we always bathed in groups and the nuns were present, it was just something different, we bathed, we all did it, we had always been doing it and I never had the feeling that I was exposed, it was normal. But laying in this bed and having a group of adults examine this very part of me, it was horror for me. Silly, as I said. I was just a kid and didn't know what was happening with me."

Hannibal knew that wasn't all and he had a feeling that the wall Face had put up around that part of his story was about to come down. So he prodded deeper. "And why would they examine your privates in detail and what does it have to do with Jack?"

Face took a deep breath as the memory was consuming him. "He…Jack…I wasn't hurt there or anything…but he noticed how uncomfortable I was when he had to assist me. I had a feeling he was extra rough when cleaning me in those areas, that or it was just more sensitive than the rest, I don't know, by all means he realized how uncomfortable I was and he was always taunting me that I looked like a man down there but behaved like a baby needing help to go and all and that I was trying to be grown and stealing cars but not even potty trained. After the first few weeks though I got used to him. While I still was afraid of him and his rough treatment I didn't mind him seeing me exposed and he wasn't all too happy with it. One night he came and told me he would teach me a lesson I wouldn't forget. He folded back my blanket and poured a can of water between my legs and then he made a lot of noise about me having wet myself and now he had to change the sheets and me and how stupid I was. He tossed me here and there while cleaning up my mess and marked on the chart that I had wet myself. By the time the doc on duty came by and asked what Jack was complaining about I was so far consumed by pain that I couldn't say anything and Jack just made up a story. He continued doing it for another night and then started during the days and increased the number of times per day and finally the doctors had to react. When they came around for their morning check five doctors and trainees stood by my bed, red my chart and then asked me all kind of uncomfortable questions. I denied at first, telling them it wasn't me, but they didn't listen. Instead they all looked at me trying to find out what was wrong with me. Jack was standing behind the group wearing a smug smile. He was put in charge of watching me more thoroughly and obtaining urine samples."

"Sorry kid, that must have been bad on a kid, especially if nobody listened."

"It was, and he didn't stop. He went on with it and the next day the docs ordered me to wear diapers until the problem was solved. They did all kind of tests with me and repeated it for some time since they couldn't find a problem, some of them were so painful and humiliating. The worst for me tough was that after some days they simply gave up and branded me as a bed wetter. I had to wear those damn diapers for the rest of my stay there and Jack continued to wet them anytime his shift ended, that was if…if…you know, sometimes he forced me too…he…he just..you know, just wouldn't assist me and I had to…you know. They even gave a complimentary packet to Maghill when he came to pick me up."

"Oh kid, I'm so sorry. But Maghill believed you, right? Why didn't he stop Jack?"

"He…he was there for me after the accident, but he had a lot of more kids to watch, couldn't hang around the hospital. He visited me though, every two weeks for some minutes. But most of the times I was so out of it with pain and then I didn't want to spend the time with my only visitor talking about…you know. Afterwards the nurses were to assist me and they soon noticed I didn't need them."

"They still needed to assist you? After you were released?"

"They released me when they thought I wouldn't get better. I was taking up one of the few single rooms, because of the nightmares, and they wouldn't get much money from the orphanage. They tried physical therapy on me for some days but I only screamed and kicked out. Jack was to give me pain pills before the therapy but he didn't and the therapist of course wouldn't believe me. They gave up on me after a few days and released me. I still hear them talking in front of my bed, treating me like thin air. They only spoke to Maghill. Told him they had done all they could but I would never walk again. I didn't respond to physical therapy but was screaming and kicking. They would assist him with the paper work to get me to an institution for handicapped but because of the behavior I showed they would strongly recommend an institution for the mental ill. Father didn't give up on me though. Back in the orphanage I was getting my pain meds and he was bending and stretching my limbs all by himself. Within two weeks after my release I made the first few steps on my own."

Hannibal didn't know what to say again. What could he say to make such a horrible thing better? How could someone be so mean to a kid? Face too was consumed by the memories. He looked so lost right then laying in the queen size bed and Hannibal couldn't help to picture how lost his younger self must have been in the hospital, not even getting visitors most of the time and being at the mercy of a sadist.

They sat, or in Face's case laid, in silence for a while before Face decided he owed Hannibal a little more explanation. "Colonel, please don't dwell on my past. I certainly don't. Lots of bad happened…"

"Face…that goes beyond bad."

"Maybe…and I have lots of scars from it. But that's what they are…scars. They serve as a reminder and every once and a while when I look I'm reminded. But most of the time it doesn't hurt." Face looked Hannibal in the eye to see if he was getting it. "Can you understand what I'm saying?"

Hannibal nodded as he felt his eyes fill with tears at the analogy.

"I've had lots of good happen in my life too…the father…some of the nuns…you guys. That's what I choose to focus on. Unfortunately, when I'm hurt or sick the bad memories tend to surface…and for that I'm sorry."

"Kid, you have nothing to apologize for."

"You guys shouldn't have to deal with any of my baggage."

"We all have baggage, lieutenant." A smile tugged on the colonel's lips. "So you just happen to have more than the rest of us at times…how is that unusual for you with the amount of suitcases you carry?"

Face chuckled. "It takes work to look this good."

"Good? Have you seen yourself lately?"

Face noted Hannibal's wink after the statement and knew it was said in jest. "You're not exactly GQ Magazine material either right now. The bags under your eyes are large enough to transport B.A.'s gold collection in."

There was a light knock on the door. "Hey…what 'bout my gold? This a private party, or can anybody join?"

"C'mon in, sergeant," Hannibal motioned with his hand.

B.A. pulled up a chair beside Hannibal. He had some things he had to get off his chest.

"How you doing Faceman?"

"Peachy, but don't tell Hannibal, he'll send me on an obstacle course if he notices I'm just acting the sick."

"You know I'm against lying and cheating but in this case I'll keep my mouth closed."

Hannibal mock shook his head and muttered "Kids!"

"Now that we're through with the friendly jibber jabber I have some serious things to tell you."

"What is it BA?"

"For one, don't you dare shut us out again trying to hide your pain because a, it doesn't work and b, you only suffer more and when you suffer we suffer, got that?"

"Not you too, yeah, got it."

"What do you mean me too?"

"I already gave him my piece of mind about his earlier behavior." Truth was that Hannibal would have lectured his lieutenant far more had it not been for his sickness and especially if he had not opened up to him. He had decided to cut him some slack to show how much he appreciated for him to open up.

"Good, keep it in mind sucker or you're gonna run a BA Baracus obstacle course next time. Hannibal's ones are a walk in the park compared to what I'll put up for you." BA frowned down at a slightly cowering Face and Hannibal briefly wondered if BA's tactic was working but quickly disposed off the idea. They had had that kind of discussion once too often, it would never change, no matter what tactic. It was ingrained in his self way too deep.

"Okay, that was one but I have one thing that's way more important."


	34. Chapter 34

Chapter 34

"Okay?"

BA took a deep breath. "Don't you dare accuse BA Baracus of not liking you. And before you speak, being drugged is not an excuse, it was truth drugs after all."

Face paled. What had he said? He couldn't remember a thing.

"Look BA, whatever I said, I didn't mean it. I had no control over what I said and I don't even remember."

"That's just the point, you had no control meaning you couldn't lie as you usually do."

"But…I…" He wanted to tell BA that he knew he liked him but he just couldn't bring himself to say it. BA had just said how he hated lying.

"You what? I sure don't like the way you lie and cheat and steal but I like you, I wouldn't have stuck with you for that long if it wasn't the case"

'Sure, as if we had much choice.'

"You're my friend and my brother, I would do anything for you and I wouldn't do that for somebody I don't like, get that through your skull sucker."

'Yeah, you like me, you don't like liars, thieves and cheats but you like me. I'm more than convinced.' Face wanted to say something but decided to better keep his mouth shut, there was no point in getting the big guy more angry. Instead he just nodded and looked away.

"I'm tired if you don't mind, I'll sleep a bit."

"Go ahead, close your eyes Faceman, it's late anyway."

Face did, he was truly exhausted. But he quickly opened his eyes again to look at BA and Hannibal, too quick for Hannibal's liking. "Close your eyes kid, we'll be here when you wake up, we're not going anywhere. You need your rest."

Face did, he wanted to stay up but was wiped out. He was terrified to wake up alone though, after all, Murdock had already left.

While Hannibal had filled in some gaps in Face's memory he didn't want to talk about Decker and Face's memory was also not supplying a lot of information about Decker, nor had all of Hannibal's words registered. He still didn't know that Murdock had only gone to protect himself from being found out.

Face's fever was making him feel cold and he shivered under the blanket. He heard chains rattle and then a light but warm comforter was being pulled up over his shoulders and gently draped close to his body.

'BA sure cares, it feels so good to be taken care off. If only I could stop being a thief and liar, maybe BA would really like me. But unfortunately it's all I ever learned and its all that's needed from me.' Face fell into an uneasy sleep with lots of bad dreams.

_"M'sorry…forgive me…sorry…so sorry."_

"Wonder what he mumblin' about now, man?"

"I don't know, but this fever still has a hold over him."

_"Didn't mean it…you don't understand…let me…let me explain."_

"Sure wish Murdock was here."

Hannibal did a double take. "Wanna run that by me again?"

B.A. smirked. "No…can't even believe I said it. It's just that he always seems to be able to calm the Faceman down."

_"Don't leave…please…not my fault…wait."_

"The doc said he infused a stronger antibiotic into his IV. I just hope it does the trick."

"Me too, man. Don't wanna see him have his leg cut into no more."

"I second that, sergeant."

_"They left…alone…gotta move…gotta keep moving."_

"Do me a favor, B.A. Get a basin of cold water and some towels. I want to try and cool him down some."

"On it."

_"Can't walk…leg hurts…oh God…gotta get back to team…hafta explain."_

"Thanks, B.A.," Hannibal said while wetting a cloth for Face's forehead. Seeing the darker man's complexion pale considerably he asked, "you okay?"

B.A. didn't answer at first as flashes from an early job a few years after Nam assaulted him. "I think I know what he's dreaming about…and from what he's been sayin', I made a big mistake. Remember that early job in Argentina?"

"What about it?"

"Remember the last day? We had found out where them drug dealers had their camp in the jungle but it was well guarded."

"Yeah, we waited until the head honcho left and then separated. Face was to act as if he was an old man who had slipped and injured his leg while collecting firewood in the forest and needed a place for the night." Hannibal smiled down at Face. "I did a good job of dressing him up and he grumbled on about his appearance and complained about having to limp, saying it wasn't necessary and I only wanted to get him mad."

They got distracted for a moment by a twisting and turning Face. While he had stopped talking he seemed to still be caught in the dream. Hannibal was able to calm him without him waking up.

"He was allowed inside and I waited outside while you and Murdock headed back to town to rat out the head honcho and his goons. Face waited for nightfall and then went about placing the charges he had hidden among his firewood collection. They were meant to destroy all the strategic goods and leave them stranded in the jungle for the police to collect them since there was no way we would be able to capture them all and the heads were not there anyway.

"Yeah, something went wrong though, can't remember what it was, but in the end it was a success."

"What went wrong was for Face to get spotted walking around. He had already set all the charges and was able to let it look like he was sleep walking but they guided him back to the fire they had going and as a result he wasn't able to sneak out of the compound as planned. The blasts started exactly thirty minutes later, one every thirty seconds. He had distributed over 40 charges throughout the compound. Some that were meant to destroy things but most were small and only meant to add to the confusion. As said confusion broke out I rammed the Jeep I was using through the gate to get Face. Only the car developed a problem and I quickly changed to a different one before collecting Face and getting away."

"Oh yeah, I remember that part, you picked one Face had set charge to and after some five minutes drive your back axle broke into two."

"Yeah, sucker had to place a bomb on that very car and not even tell me."

"We came back to pick you up since you two were late and met you far ahead of Face, you were both grumbly. We then dropped Face two towns down the road and hurried to get our boat."

While Face had arranged to stay behind and tie up some lose ends the others had taken a ship home. He had had no desire to go on a weeklong ship passage and found an excuse to stay and use a plane instead.

"Yeah, remembering back and hearing his dream, I think I messed up big time. I never told you the part in between and why I was far ahead of him."

"I'm all ears BA."

"When the back of the car blew we were so lucky to get away without a scratch but we weren't far ahead of the thugs and needed to move." BA told Hannibal the part he remembered.

_"Damn, you wanna kill us?"_

_"How's it my fault the darn thing has an accident, thought you worked on getting it fit all morning?"_

_"That wasn't an accident fool, you placed a bomb to it."_

_"How should I have placed a bomb to the car you had outside the compound?"_

_"Don't you have eyes? I took one of theirs after mine had a problem and you're not even telling me this one has a bomb, you're a damn liability, next time you try to off yourself don't take me along for the ride."_

_"Hey, you were the one riding and taking me along, this ain't my fault. I'm sorry but these Jeeps all look alike and if you had repaired the other one well you wouldn't have had to change cars at all. You should rather have told me you had changed cars."_

_"Me? Don't you go try to blame me and don't you ever doubt my skills as a mechanic. And now let's move sucker."_

_"Hey BA, I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that, wait, let me explain. I thought it was still the same Jeep."_

_BA was already some distance in front of Face walking inside the Jungle to not get spotted easily but close to the road to not lose track. "Don't have time for your explanations, I said move it."_

_"I can't go that fast, my leg."_

_BA turned and saw Face limping the same way he had when he played the old man._

_"Stop acting you idiot, we need to move. Is it that you failed in killing me with your bomb and therefore you intentionally slow us down? Know what? I don't care what you do anymore, I'm off." Whit that BA turned and marched on, leaving Face behind._

_"Don't leave me behind BA, please, it's not my fault, hey Team rule, never leave a man behind. Wait."_

_"I'm not leaving you, all you need to do is hurry it up and follow me."_

"I was sure he just acted the limp because he didn't want to walk around in the jungle but now I'm not so sure again."

"But didn't you notice that he dropped far behind?"

"I did but I thought he was sulking. I might have shouted the last part at him, it just wasn't my day. While working on the Jeep in the morning one of my gold necklaces torn and fell into a crack between the floorboards, then the car kept having trouble, then the plan didn't go smoothly, the axle blew and then the fool had to keep acting the injured. I was just mad, didn't even talk to him up to the next job over six weeks later."

"I kept in touch through the phone but didn't see him either, he never said he was injured but then that doesn't mean anything."

"We'll just have to ask him when he's waking up."

That had to wait though. Face woke up but was in no condition to answer any questions. The fever had spiked and the doc had had to put him on antibiotics, opposite to what he had hoped. The fever stayed but Face got weaker from the drugs. After another day the doc tested and saw that the infection in his leg and bladder had even increased instead of going down. He was forced to change the drug again and Face was suffering through the side effects.

************************************************** ****************************** Murdock was having a rough go of things from his end as well. He couldn't call the guys because there was a good chance his phone was being bugged by the military. The only way he could get updates was by using Dr. Richter's phone , and that wasn't near often enough. The last he had heard, Face was still battling an infection and fever.

'I bet he's having bad dreams…he always has bad dreams when he's sick.'

Murdock began to pace his room. He knew he was just as much a part of the team as the others, but it was times like these when he felt like an outsider.

'I should be there. But instead I'm locked up like some crazy person.' Murdock stopped and stood in front of his window. 'Well, I guess that's because I _am_ a crazy person…but crazy people have feelings too.'

Murdock sighed feeling useless and restless. 'Face always is there when I need him; he manages to find a way. Of course 'finding a way' is what Face does for a living.' Murdock started to pace again. 'And flying is what I do.'

Murdock tried to distract himself first with comic books and then with cartoons, but his thoughts kept drifting back to Face. 'I bet he thinks I abandoned him. No matter how many times Hannibal and B.A. explain it to him, he won't truly believe it deep down where it matters.'

Murdock started tinkering with his yo-yo. 'If only I could get a message to him…one that will make him know how much I care.' Tossing the yo-yo aside he flung himself onto his bed and stared up at the ceiling. His earlier thought popped back into his head. 'Flying is what I do.'

"That's it!" he yelled out.

"That's what?"

Murdock startled at Dr. Richter's voice. He had been so preoccupied that he hadn't even heard the door open. "What's up, doc?" he asked using a Bugs Bunny voice.

The psychiatrist raised one eyebrow. "I want to know what' going on inside that head of yours."

"You're the head shrinker…I thought you'd know the answer." Murdock followed up with an innocent smile.

"Murdock, I've been shrinking your head for so long that I can no longer see inside…"

Murdock walked over and put an arm around Richter. "Doc, I need your help."

Face woke to an awful sensation in his leg. He opened his eyes a crack to see that the doctor was probing his wound. He quickly shut them again as the pain worsened.

"His bladder looks clear, but his leg is still not responding."

"Why?"

'Good question, colonel,' Face thought.

"Maybe I missed a fragment. I'm going to set up for an ultrasound of his leg. You two stay here in case he wakes."

But Face was already awake. A groan that escaped his lips gave him away.

"Hey, Faceman…how you feelin'?"

"Hurts a bit." Typical of Face, he downplayed the pain. "But not as bad as Argentina."

That was the opening they had been waiting for. "What happened in Argentina?"

Face turned to his colonel, eyes wide like saucers. It was obvious he hadn't planned on saying the last part out loud.

"I..uhm…had met that girl …uhm…after you had gone on the boat and it really hurt to leave her behind."

"Try again Faceman."

"Uhm…not to go on the boat with you but stay behind to complete the job?"

"You're really sick man, even I could con better."

"He's right Face, truth?"

"I…uhm…I'm certainly thirsty, can you get me some water?"

"Preferably fresh from the north pole so it takes longer, huh? Look, we know you were hurt on that mission, we only don't know what happened."


	35. Chapter 35

Chapter 35

"You knew?"

"No, we know now, we didn't know then. You spoke in one of your dreams."

Face paled even more, which in itself was something. "What did I say?"

"Everything, you spoke like a waterfall."

They could see the wheels turning in his head, trying to get out of his predicament. It took a while but even sick as he was he was sharp enough to call Hannibal's bluff. "If you know everything then I don't need to tell you again."

"Okay, I still don't know what happened, only that your leg was hurt."

"That I told BA right then but he left me."

"Sorry man, thought you were still acting the limp as you had done for the con, shouldn't have left you though, I was just mean, had a bad day and took it out on you."

"You…I mean…uhm…thanks, I suppose." Face didn't have that much experience with people saying they are sorry and coming from BA and directed to him it was even rarer. After all he had put the bomb to the car so BA had all right to leave him behind.

"Can you get me that water now?"

"Stop stalling, you're on an IV line and would throw up all the water anyway."

Face sighed, knowing he had no chance to get out of it he started to tell. "When they caught me walking around and placed me by the fire I had no chance to sneak out and when the commotion started I was getting up with the others, still trying to maintain the picture of the old man. I was just about to get up, one of my legs still spread out but no more on the ground, when the big guy next to me panicked and run. He stomped right on the back of my knee, bringing me down in the process. It hurt so bad that I couldn't get up, I was rolling on the floor cradling my leg and had several others trip over me in all the commotion. "When I finally got up I had to practice a bit to stay upright and then limped to the front gate. But after a few steppes BA came from behind and we drove off. My knee throbbed fiercely and then the bomb went off and we were thrown out. I was stopped by a tree that connected to my knee and lower leg. After that I could actually walk a bit better, if not by far, I suspect that something was dislocated and had been pushed back by the tree, but therefore all my calf and shin was scratched and bruised then."

"You suspect or you know?"

"I suspect."

"Didn't you go see a doctor?"

"I did, right after you guys dropped me in front of the hotel. I wanted to go inside but after three steps changed my mind and took a taxi to the local clinic. They took an x-ray, talked over the picture for quite some time and then said something, injected me with something all around the knee, that was awful, and then immobilized my knee with some local made brace that consisted of wooden sticks, a thick cotton material and straps to fix it to the leg above and below the knee. They said something, gave me crutches and I left."

"What did they say?"

"No idea, I don't speak Spanish."

"By all you know they told you to come back for surgery in three days."

"Maybe but anyway, after the injections they gave me? No way would I have gone back there."

"Didn't you go see a doctor once you were back here?"

"No, it got better with time. After the first four weeks I was able to move around without the crutches and then I used the brace only every some hours and by the time we had the next job I had practiced how to conceal the limp. I was lucky the job didn't include too much walking."

Hannibal just rolled his eyes and was about to lecture Face about hiding injuries when the culprit let out a yawn.

"I'm so tired."

"Just sleep, we'll talk later."

The next time he woke the doc had the ultra sound ready so talking was postponed again. It was terrible on Face and turned out without any news as to why he wasn't getting better. With him panting through the pain Hannibal decided to cancel the lecture for once.

"What do you want me to do?"

"I need to get a message to Face to show him that I really care. Can you help me get a plane and a banner, I'll fly over their house and the banner will read "Get well Face."

"Good thinking Murdock, you can as well write 'Dear MP's, you can find the A-Team here.' "

"Oh damn. Okay, I have an even better idea. I'm the best crazy pilot the military ever had and they need me for a test flight, that's why they came for me to get me out of here for some weeks."

"Ah, Murdock, your ideas are getting worse. The military are the ones that will come looking for you, they know if they have you."

"It's a top secret thing. You got orders and know nothing else."

"Okay, where are those orders."

"Damn, Face would forge them in no time. Here, put some empty sheets in an envelope and put it in my file. It's so secret you weren't even allowed to open the envelope."

"That will never work."

"It will trust me, Face pulls such things all the time, Besides the Mp's aren't the brightest." Murdock picked up the phone without waiting for Richter to answer.

"Bill, can you come get me where you dropped me? Now? Okay, thanks."

"Thanks doc, I'll be back as soon as Face is well enough for me to be crazy again, I'll let myself out."

Murdock jumped out of the ground floor window and was gone. Richter shook his head and put the sealed envelope in Murdock's file.

Just shy of three hours later the chopper sat down and Murdock was out of it with lightning speed running for Face's room.

"Face, how are you?" He looked at his pale and sweaty friend who looked far worse than the last time."

"He just can't shake the fever and the infection, but the doc can't find a reason."

"Mur'ock, back" It was more of a croak and the first thing Face had spoken since the ultrasound the day prior.

"Yes Face I'm back, sorry I had to leave you for a while. You're trembling, are you cold? Come here buddy." As if it was the most normal thing in the world Murdock slipped under Face's cover and, mindful of his injuries, cuddled close to him.

Face sighed and then closed his eyes. He fell into a deep, dreamless sleep, the first since Murdock left, and slept straight through for twelve hours. The next day his fever broke and he started getting better. Two days later he made his first attempt to standing up using crutches. He felt far better being able to take care of his basic needs, even if he still needed their assistance at least he could do the more private things alone.

That same day the doc left since he wasn't needed anymore. Face now had mental peace and it gave him the energy he needed to heal. He had his leg in a cast to walk around and the rest would heal with time. The team had all the time in the world since they were welcome guests. They stayed a bit longer but after two weeks Hannibal decided Face was well enough to move on. His leg was still in a cast, his ribs tapped, the bruises slowly fading and his wrists in bandages to give some support but they couldn't stay at one place for too long.

Two days later they had all said their goodbyes and were headed towards the Miller's house for the promised dinner. Face wanted to see them again to thank them for all they had done but the idea of them becoming his new family in exchange for the team was still lingering in his head and he became increasingly nervous the closer they got.

"You doing okay, Face?" Murdock asked noticing that Face was becoming increasingly quiet during the drive.

"Fine," he smiled, but it was forced.

You sure you alright, Faceman?" B.A. asked over his shoulder. "I could pull over if you need a break."

Face smiled, but this time it was real. "No, really I'm okay." He started to chuckle softly.

It was Hannibal's turn to chime in. "Something funny?"

"I was just thinking about how things have changed."

"How so?" Hannibal probed.

"After Jamestown the ride was quite different from what I remember." Face paused before adding, "but some of the details are a bit fuzzy."

"We wasn't real concerned 'bout you, were we?"

Face heard the somber tone of B.A.'s voice and immediately regretted his words. "I didn't mean it in a bad way. It's just that now you guys have done an about face."

"An 'about face'…it's always all about you Face, isn't it?" Murdock teased.

"Cute, Murdock," Face replied. "Listen…I don't know what I'm saying…the meds still have me a bit crazy."

"At least you have an excuse, unlike the fool sittin' next to you."

"That's not nice, B.A.," Murdock pouted and crossed his arms. "Sticks and stones may break my bones…"

"But B.A.'s gonna pound ya," B.A. interrupted.

"Children…behave," Hannibal scolded. He focused on Face. "And you may not know what you're saying, but I do and there is nothing crazy about it. This whole…um…adventure…has taught us some valuable lessons."

"Hey man…next time we have an adventure, can we just go to Disneyland instead?"

"Murdock, it's a deal." But they all knew they wouldn't be able to keep in their line of work.

Face felt himself starting to relax with the familiar and comfortable banter that had been all too much absent since he had been hurt all those weeks ago. As they pulled up to the house, however, the nerves came back with a vengeance. While he liked the Miller family a great deal, he was scared of what he would feel when he saw them again. He wanted to put the whole experience behind him and move on, but would that be possible now? Would it all be dragged up again? Did he do or say something while not in his right mind…and did he want to know about it now?

"Hey, Faruk!" Henry shouted from the porch as Face started to limp toward him.

"Faruk?"

"What the matter, Faceman? Don't you recognize your own name?" B.A. grinned.

"I was hoping that I had been dreaming about that part." But the ice had been broken and from that point on Face could feel his apprehension melting over the course of the dinner. By the end of the meal Face's biggest problem was how he was going to stand up. Edna had continued to pile food onto his plate saying that he needed to keep his strength up.

Face had retorted playfully with, "I need to keep my pants up as well…and at this rate the zipper is going to burst."

"That's okay, lieutenant. If we eat anymore of this good cooking, we all are going to need new pants. We'll stop on our way back to L.A."

"When do you plan on leaving, John?" Charles asked.

"Right after dinner." Hannibal patted his stomach. "That is if we aren't too heavy for the van to handle."

Edna, who had been clearing the dishes, stopped and walked over to Face. "You know you always have a family here with us."

Face took hold of the older woman's hand. Now that his mind was no longer clouded by fever he could clearly see that they weren't trying to replace the team. They aimed to be an extended family…you wouldn't see them often, but you always knew they were there and could count on them when needed. "Thank you." He looked around at everybody around him. "Thank you…all of you. I…um…well…" Face felt the heat rising to his face and the lump forming in his throat. "I…need some air." He stood abruptly and headed for the door as quickly as his healing body would allow.

"Oh dear…I didn't mean to upset him"

"You didn't say nothin' wrong, lil' mama."

"B.A.'s right." Hannibal rose to his feet. "I'm going to go check on him."

He found Face sitting on the top step of the porch staring up at the stars.

Face heard the footsteps behind him and could tell just by the sound that it was Hannibal. Without turning around he said, "sometimes I don't know what to do with them."

"Them?"

"My feelings." Face ran a shaky hand through his hair.

"I don't think you have to _do_ anything with them, kid." Hannibal took a few steps forward and put his hand onto his lieutenant's shoulder. "They're feelings…you just _feel_ them."

Face looked up briefly before turning away. "I spent my entire life trying to do the opposite. Maybe that's why I'm so good at scamming…it has always been easier to be somebody other than me. It hurts to be me…to not be wanted…to not have a family."

"That's understandable. But you have a family now…and wonderful friends like the Millers too."

"I know. That's why I had to get out of there. It hit me all at once…that I had what I always wanted…and I couldn't breathe."

Hannibal sat down next to Face and put his arm around the younger man. "I guess even good feelings can hurt sometimes."

Face just nodded.

"You know, kid, that sometimes you have to let yourself feel the bad, in order to experience the joy of the good. Lately there has been a whole lot of bad…maybe it opened you up to feeling the good…and that's why you're having this reaction."

"I think it started with the note." Face let himself lean into Hannibal. "I don't remember much about it except that I thought I was dying and all I had been keeping in I wanted…no I needed…to get out. And I let myself feel…I mean really feel…how much I care about you guys. And let me tell you, it was terrifying."

"We have enough to fear in our lives, Face. Don't let your feelings be one of them."

Face chuckled slightly. "Yeah. You'd think that being a wanted man who was shot at and beat up on a regular basis would make everything else pale in comparison."

"What about the note? What are you going to do with it?"

"Maybe one day I'll be able to tell you guys what's in it, until then I think I'll hold onto it as a reminder to try to open my emotions up more."

Hannibal smiled. "That's good, kid…real good. And we'll help you in any way we can."

The pair turned at the sound of a door opening and footsteps.

"Got room for two more?" Murdock asked. He pointed at B.A. "Make that two-and-a-half."

"Shut-up, fool, before I subtract you from the equation."

"I'm sorry for leaving the way I did," Face apologized.

"You okay, muchacho?"

Face allowed Hannibal to help him stand as he answered, "Yeah," he winked at Hannibal, "I'm feeling much better now."

Hannibal heard Face's emphasis on the word 'feeling' and he broke out into a wide smile as he led his team back inside. "I love it when a plan comes together!"

The End


End file.
